--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Politeness is the poison of collaboration." description: "\"Politeness is the poison of collaboration.\" — Edwin Land" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/edwin-land-7636_collaboration_politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboratio_2255156.png" --- # Politeness is the poison of collaboration. ![“Politeness is the poison of collaboration.” quote by Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/edwin-land-7636_collaboration_politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboratio_2255156.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/edwin-land-7636_collaboration_politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboratio_2255156.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/edwin-land-7636_collaboration_politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboratio_2255156.png) > “Politeness is the poison of collaboration.” [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politeness can hinder honest collaboration by masking true issues **In simple terms:** Politeness may block frank collaboration Key Takeaway Encourage honest, respectful dialogue Themes collaboration communication authenticity Mood thoughtful balanced Type leadership inspirational When to use this quote - business meetings - conflict resolution Key Concepts team dynamics creative projects Questions to Reflect On - When is politeness beneficial? - How to balance honesty with respect? A Different Perspective Politeness also fosters trust and morale ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collaboration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaboration/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Politeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politeness/) [Teamwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teamwork/) ## Related quotes > [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [A successful solution to the client's design needs requires a collaboration of my skills, talents and knowledge with the client's information base, history in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-fisher/a-successful-solution-to-the-client-s-design-needs-requires-a/) [Jeff Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-fisher/) > [Collaboration is like the sex of creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/collaboration-is-like-the-sex-of-creativity/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I think... you know, collaboration, in general - no matter movies, television or Broadway - is offering of what you can bring to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-chenoweth/i-think-you-know-collaboration-in-general-no-matter-movies-television/) [Kristin Chenoweth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-chenoweth/) > [Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation and consensus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/effectively-change-is-almost-impossible-without-industry-wide/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [I'm always open to collaborations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-singe/i-m-always-open-to-collaborations/) [William Singe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-singe/) > [Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/alone-we-can-do-so-little-together-we-can-do-so-much/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [I always find that the best collaborations are when you work with people that know what they're doing, and you leave them alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-always-find-that-the-best-collaborations-are-when-you-work-with/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I am not the kind of designer who is racing to the finish line, so while collaborations are important for our growth, each and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabal-gurung/i-am-not-the-kind-of-designer-who-is-racing-to-the-finish-line-so/) [Prabal Gurung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabal-gurung/) > [Working together precedes winning together...collaboration is multiplication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/working-together-precedes-winning-together-collaboration-is/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [I've done loads of collaborations and I'm never totally happy with the outcome because it feels like you're compromising something of yourself in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-mohawke/i-ve-done-loads-of-collaborations-and-i-m-never-totally-happy-with/) Hudson Mohawke > [I realized that what I was looking for was doing collaborations with other people - people who can play a ballad, rock, jazz. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-realized-that-what-i-was-looking-for-was-doing-collaborations-with/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [On any collaboration, you want to respect your music and the other's music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nam/on-any-collaboration-you-want-to-respect-your-music-and-the-other-s/) [Eric Nam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nam/) > [As an entrepreneur and investor, I prioritize construction and collaboration. Whether it's a five-person start-up or a global giant, the companies that are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/as-an-entrepreneur-and-investor-i-prioritize-construction-and/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Every sin is a result of collaboration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/every-sin-is-a-result-of-collaboration/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) ## More by Edwin Land > [We have to keep in practice like musicians. Besides, there are still potentialities to be realized in color film. To us, it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/we-have-to-keep-in-practice-like-musicians-besides-there-are-still/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [It only takes a day to change someone from an anti-intellectual to an intellectual by persuading him that he might be one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/it-only-takes-a-day-to-change-someone-from-an-anti-intellectual-to-an/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Don't do anything that someone else can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/don-t-do-anything-that-someone-else-can-do/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The present is the past biting into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-present-is-the-past-biting-into-the-future/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The world belongs to the articulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-world-belongs-to-the-articulate/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Why do I want to believe what I believe?... Science, to put it somewhat vulgarly, is a technique to keep yourself from kidding yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/why-do-i-want-to-believe-what-i-believe-science-to-put-it-somewhat/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Who can object to a monopoly when any new company, if it is built around a scientific nucleus, can create a new monopoly of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/who-can-object-to-a-monopoly-when-any-new-company-if-it-is-built/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I believe that each young person is different from any other who has ever lived, as different as his fingerprints: that he could bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-believe-that-each-young-person-is-different-from-any-other-who-has/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [There is no such thing as group originality, group creativity or group perspicacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/there-is-no-such-thing-as-group-originality-group-creativity-or-group/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A significant invention must be startling, unexpected. It must come to a world that is not prepared for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-significant-invention-must-be-startling-unexpected-it-must-come-to/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I believe quite simply that the small company of the future will be as much a research organization as it is a manufacturing company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-believe-quite-simply-that-the-small-company-of-the-future-will-be/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A premature attempt to explain something that thrills you will destroy your perceptivity rather than increase it, because your tendency will be to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-premature-attempt-to-explain-something-that-thrills-you-will/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A significant inventionmust be startling, unexpected. It must come to a world that is not prepared for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-significant-inventionmust-be-startling-unexpected-it-must-come-to-a/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The world is like a fertile field that's waiting to be harvested. The seeds have been planted, and what I do is go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-world-is-like-a-fertile-field-that-s-waiting-to-be-harvested-the/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The most important thing about power is to make sure you don't have to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-most-important-thing-about-power-is-to-make-sure-you-don-t-have/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) [Explore all 89 Edwin Land quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) ## More Collaboration quotes > [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-f-we-are-going-to-be-kind-let-it-be-out-of-simple-generosity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [MAC allowed me to have complete freedom on the collaborations—from the shades, the look-and-feel, to the campaign visuals. I have to admit that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/mac-allowed-me-to-have-complete-freedom-on-the-collaborations-from/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [Today's world requires a different leadership style - more collaboration and teamwork, including using Web 2.0 technologies. If you had told me I'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-chambers/today-s-world-requires-a-different-leadership-style-more/) [John T. Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-chambers/) > [“Damn, amigo. Just how much Oprah have you been watching since I’ve been gone?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-adrian/damn-amigo-just-how-much-oprah-have-you-been-watching-since-i-ve-been/) [Lara Adrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-adrian/) > [As an entrepreneur and investor, I prioritize construction and collaboration. Whether it's a five-person start-up or a global giant, the companies that are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/as-an-entrepreneur-and-investor-i-prioritize-construction-and/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [On any collaboration, you want to respect your music and the other's music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nam/on-any-collaboration-you-want-to-respect-your-music-and-the-other-s/) [Eric Nam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nam/) > [“CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/cwc-church-women-concerned-enabled-us-as-women-in-that-part-of-south/) Sindiwe Magona > [Steadman! Any guy that's got Oprah as a girlfriend, I mean that's a good dude. I want to talk to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bush/steadman-any-guy-that-s-got-oprah-as-a-girlfriend-i-mean-that-s-a/) [Billy Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bush/) > [There are a lot of people whove been able to ditch their Windows machines and switch over to Linux because they can now use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-friedman/there-are-a-lot-of-people-whove-been-able-to-ditch-their-windows/) [Nat Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-friedman/) > [I realized that what I was looking for was doing collaborations with other people - people who can play a ballad, rock, jazz. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-realized-that-what-i-was-looking-for-was-doing-collaborations-with/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I've done loads of collaborations and I'm never totally happy with the outcome because it feels like you're compromising something of yourself in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-mohawke/i-ve-done-loads-of-collaborations-and-i-m-never-totally-happy-with/) Hudson Mohawke > [“With commitment and vision, it is possible to build a bridge between potential partners and communities whose work is of relevance to peace-building initiatives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/with-commitment-and-vision-it-is-possible-to-build-a-bridge-between/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) > [I love mixing amateurs and professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/i-love-mixing-amateurs-and-professionals/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [Working together precedes winning together...collaboration is multiplication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/working-together-precedes-winning-together-collaboration-is/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) [Browse all 1,240 Collaboration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaboration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Politeness is the poison of collaboration.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edwin Land" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboration/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Collaboration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboration/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/edwin-land-7636_collaboration_politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboratio_2255156.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/edwin-land-7636_collaboration_politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboratio_2255156.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/edwin-land-7636_collaboration_politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboratio_2255156.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Politeness is the poison of collaboration.” — Edwin Land", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edwin Land", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Politeness is the poison of collaboration.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboration/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/politeness-is-the-poison-of-collaboration/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```