Business Quote by Fred Wilson
“If you want to unleash more creativity in your company, you need to allow for a little contamination. It is the sand in the oyster that creates the pearl.”
About This Quote
Source Blog: "The Pearl of Contamination" on AVC, 2014
Allowing cross‑disciplinary ideas (contamination) sparks innovation like sand creates a pearl.
In simple terms: Cross‑pollination fuels creativity.
Key Takeaway
Invite diverse perspectives into projects.
Themes
innovation
creativity
collaboration
Mood
strategic
practical
Type
business
creative
When to use this quote
- team brainstorming
- hackathons
- cross‑functional teams
Key Concepts
interdisciplinary synergy
organizational culture
Questions to Reflect On
- How to balance openness with core mission?
- What safeguards protect against chaos?
A Different Perspective
Too much contamination can dilute focus.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)