--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The number of people who really work…" description: "\"The number of people who really work creatively on new sources of water isn't enormously large for the reason that I don't think people have very many ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/george-m-whitesides-38908_hope_the-number-of-people-who-really-work-cre_731615.jpg" --- # The number of people who really work creatively on new… ![“The number of people who really work creatively on new sources of water isn't enormously large for the reason that I don't think people have very many ideas on how to get fundamentally new sources of water. We sort of think we've thought that problem through. I hope that's not true.” quote by George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/george-m-whitesides-38908_hope_the-number-of-people-who-really-work-cre_731615.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/george-m-whitesides-38908_hope_the-number-of-people-who-really-work-cre_731615.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/george-m-whitesides-38908_hope_the-number-of-people-who-really-work-cre_731615.jpg) > “The number of people who really work creatively on new sources of water isn't enormously large for the reason that I don't think people have very many ideas on how to get fundamentally new sources of water. We sort of think we've thought that problem through. I hope that's not true.” [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Few people actively innovate new water sources because they assume the problem is solved, limiting breakthroughs. **In simple terms:** Few innovate new water sources due to assumptions. Key Takeaway Question assumptions to spark innovation. Themes innovation water scarcity creativity problem framing Mood analytical concerned Type scientific inspirational When to use this quote - water resource planning - R&D labs - policy workshops - academic conferences Key Concepts environmental science engineering policy research Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions about water resources could be challenged? - How can interdisciplinary teams foster new ideas? A Different Perspective Resource constraints can hinder experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [...water that isn't fit for trout won't much longer be fit for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-gingrich/water-that-isn-t-fit-for-trout-won-t-much-longer-be-fit-for-us/) [Arnold Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-gingrich/) > [“Water isn't shaped like a river or ocean; it mists invisibly against metal and glass”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/water-isn-t-shaped-like-a-river-or-ocean-it-mists-invisibly-against/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“The world may be running out of water, but it isn’t running low on music. Let the dancing flow!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-world-may-be-running-out-of-water-but-it-isn-t-running-low-on/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I think so many people give us ideas of what we are. I think as women especially, because we're sensitive by nature, we're more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-think-so-many-people-give-us-ideas-of-what-we-are-i-think-as-women/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [I just love to collaborate with people who take my ideas real serious, and they don't put up walls around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/i-just-love-to-collaborate-with-people-who-take-my-ideas-real-serious/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [The people that are around me that give me ideas that I pass along or we try, the one thing I never do, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/the-people-that-are-around-me-that-give-me-ideas-that-i-pass-along-or/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [...remember the dangers of the New Groupthink. If it's creativity you're after, ask your employees to solve problems alone before sharing their ideas. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/remember-the-dangers-of-the-new-groupthink-if-it-s-creativity-you-re/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Politics lives in people, ideas live in people, they live in the concrete struggles that people have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/politics-lives-in-people-ideas-live-in-people-they-live-in-the/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [You can present people with ideas they may come to believe in, and as a result of them they will act, if they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/you-can-present-people-with-ideas-they-may-come-to-believe-in-and-as/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I don't do much more than organise other people's ideas and insights and thoughts, and sort of harvest them, and inventory them and present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-don-t-do-much-more-than-organise-other-people-s-ideas-and-insights/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Wouldn't it be great, if there was a one-stop shop where funny people could take their ideas and have them made?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-there-was-a-one-stop-shop-where-funny-people/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [There's a lot of social input when you put these things out there. People's ideas cross with other people's thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biz-stone/there-s-a-lot-of-social-input-when-you-put-these-things-out-there/) [Biz Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biz-stone/) > [So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/so-when-a-good-idea-comes-you-know-part-of-my-job-is-to-move-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“It’s not a good idea to let on about extreme happy feelings. People get ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-juby/it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-let-on-about-extreme-happy-feelings-people/) [Susan Juby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-juby/) > [Serious people have few ideas. People with ideas are never serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/serious-people-have-few-ideas-people-with-ideas-are-never-serious/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) ## More by George M. Whitesides > [Because of climate changes, it's not just a question of producing energy. It's a question of producing energy in a way that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/because-of-climate-changes-it-s-not-just-a-question-of-producing/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [We academics - I am an academic - we love complexity. You can write papers about complexity, and the nice thing about complexity is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/we-academics-i-am-an-academic-we-love-complexity-you-can-write-papers/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [Part of science is the questioning of authority, absolute freedom of ideology. The Soviets did some very good science, but when science ran into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/part-of-science-is-the-questioning-of-authority-absolute-freedom-of/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [Chemists have always been in the business of taking atoms and putting them together with other atoms with precisely defined connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/chemists-have-always-been-in-the-business-of-taking-atoms-and-putting/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [Capitalism is a wonderful economic engine, but it assigns little value to long-term projects or societal problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/capitalism-is-a-wonderful-economic-engine-but-it-assigns-little-value/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [Nanoengineering is learning how to make devices as small as 10 to 100 atoms in width. Much of the work is going on in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/nanoengineering-is-learning-how-to-make-devices-as-small-as-10-to-100/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [Science has the potential to solve all kinds of problems, but it depends on what a society wants to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/science-has-the-potential-to-solve-all-kinds-of-problems-but-it/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [Simplicity, for reasons that are a little bit obscure, is almost not pursued, at least in the academic world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/simplicity-for-reasons-that-are-a-little-bit-obscure-is-almost-not/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [One of the issues in electronics is that we work only in two scales - transistors and collections of transistors - and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/one-of-the-issues-in-electronics-is-that-we-work-only-in-two-scales/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) > [The virtue of binary is that it's the simplest possible way of representing numbers. Anything else is more complicated. You can catch errors with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-whitesides/the-virtue-of-binary-is-that-it-s-the-simplest-possible-way-of/) [George M. Whitesides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) [Explore all 11 George M. Whitesides quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-whitesides/) ## More Hope quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/) [Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) Simone Abou Samra > [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/) Im Nothing > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 24,868 Hope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The number of people who really work creatively on new sources of water isn't enormously large for the reason that I don't think people have very many ideas on how to get fundamentally new sources of water. 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