--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An idea which can be used once is a…" description: "\"An idea which can be used once is a trick. If it can be used more than once it becomes a method.\" — George Polya" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/george-polya-10766_ideas_an-idea-which-can-be-used-once-is-a-tric_915292.png" --- # An idea which can be used once is a trick. If it can be… ![“An idea which can be used once is a trick. If it can be used more than once it becomes a method.” quote by George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/george-polya-10766_ideas_an-idea-which-can-be-used-once-is-a-tric_915292.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/george-polya-10766_ideas_an-idea-which-can-be-used-once-is-a-tric_915292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/george-polya-10766_ideas_an-idea-which-can-be-used-once-is-a-tric_915292.png) > “An idea which can be used once is a trick. If it can be used more than once it becomes a method.” [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A single‑use idea is a trick; repeated use transforms it into a method, indicating the value of repeatability. **In simple terms:** Repeated ideas become methods. Key Takeaway Develop repeatable processes. Themes creativity methodology learning Mood inquisitive analytical Type educational practical When to use this quote - teaching - research - product development Key Concepts iteration skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn tricks into methods? - What makes an idea repeatable? A Different Perspective May overlook novelty’s importance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Trick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trick/) ## Related quotes > [An idea which can be used only once is a trick. If one can use it more than once it becomes a method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/an-idea-which-can-be-used-only-once-is-a-trick-if-one-can-use-it-more/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [“You just assumed he’d buy I was really your girl? What if he’d called your bluff? (Roya Clairen) But he didn’t. (Zayvier Bynum) How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-carver/you-just-assumed-he-d-buy-i-was-really-your-girl-what-if-he-d-called/) Temple Carver > [“Artemus Ward used that trick a good deal; then when the belated audience presently caught the joke he would look up with innocent surprise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/artemus-ward-used-that-trick-a-good-deal-then-when-the-belated/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“A tool always begs to be used. The trick is to learn how to use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/a-tool-always-begs-to-be-used-the-trick-is-to-learn-how-to-use-it/) [Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/) > [I don't miss you, simply the idea of who you used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystinna-keuhn/i-don-t-miss-you-simply-the-idea-of-who-you-used-to-be/) Krystinna Keuhn > [Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/don-t-surrender-all-your-joy-for-an-idea-you-used-to-have-about/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [I am grateful for the idea that has used me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/i-am-grateful-for-the-idea-that-has-used-me/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [Every actor has to make terrible films from time to time, but the trick is never to be terrible in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/every-actor-has-to-make-terrible-films-from-time-to-time-but-the/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I think that's the trick: wanting what I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/i-think-that-s-the-trick-wanting-what-i-have/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [What I've tried to do in my stage magic is to take a trick and give it an emotional hook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/what-i-ve-tried-to-do-in-my-stage-magic-is-to-take-a-trick-and-give/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [The trick is to fix the problem you have, rather than the problem you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-cohen/the-trick-is-to-fix-the-problem-you-have-rather-than-the-problem-you/) [Bram Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-cohen/) > [Are we so desperate for entertainment that we will fall for a Trickless magician?? Saw a woman in half. Pull a rabbit out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/are-we-so-desperate-for-entertainment-that-we-will-fall-for-a/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [“Ritually abusive groups also convince children that something evil has been put inside them. For example, a child is made to believe he or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-miller/ritually-abusive-groups-also-convince-children-that-something-evil/) [Alison Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-miller/) > [The only way to improve a trick is to find a simpler and more direct way of doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lepaul/the-only-way-to-improve-a-trick-is-to-find-a-simpler-and-more-direct/) Paul LePaul > [Tell the truth or trump-but get the trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/tell-the-truth-or-trump-but-get-the-trick/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by George Polya > [Pedantry and mastery are opposite attitudes toward rules. To apply a rule to the letter, rigidly, unquestioningly, in cases where it fits and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/pedantry-and-mastery-are-opposite-attitudes-toward-rules-to-apply-a/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [A GREAT discovery solves a great problem but there is a grain of discovery in any problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/a-great-discovery-solves-a-great-problem-but-there-is-a-grain-of/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Where should I start? Start from the statement of the problem. ... What can I do? Visualize the problem as a whole as clearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/where-should-i-start-start-from-the-statement-of-the-problem-what-can/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [In order to translate a sentence from English into French two things are necessary. First, we must understand thoroughly the English sentence. Second, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/in-order-to-translate-a-sentence-from-english-into-french-two-things/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Look around when you have got your first mushroom or made your first discovery: they grow in clusters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/look-around-when-you-have-got-your-first-mushroom-or-made-your-first/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Beauty in mathematics is seeing the truth without effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/beauty-in-mathematics-is-seeing-the-truth-without-effort/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [I am too good for philosophy and not good enough for physics. Mathematics is in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/i-am-too-good-for-philosophy-and-not-good-enough-for-physics/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Solving problems is a practical art, like swimming, or skiing, or playing the piano: you can learn it only by imitation and practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/solving-problems-is-a-practical-art-like-swimming-or-skiing-or/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [An idea which can be used only once is a trick. If one can use it more than once it becomes a method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/an-idea-which-can-be-used-only-once-is-a-trick-if-one-can-use-it-more/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [To teach effectively a teacher must develop a feeling for his subject; he cannot make his students sense its vitality if he does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/to-teach-effectively-a-teacher-must-develop-a-feeling-for-his-subject/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [The world is anxious to admire that apex and culmination of modern mathematics: a theorem so perfectly general that no particular application of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/the-world-is-anxious-to-admire-that-apex-and-culmination-of-modern/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [The first rule of discovery is to have brains and good luck. The second rule of discovery is to sit tight and wait till…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/the-first-rule-of-discovery-is-to-have-brains-and-good-luck-the/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Hilbert once had a student in mathematics who stopped coming to his lectures, and he was finally told the young man had gone off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/hilbert-once-had-a-student-in-mathematics-who-stopped-coming-to-his/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Geometry is the science of correct reasoning on incorrect figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/geometry-is-the-science-of-correct-reasoning-on-incorrect-figures/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [The best of ideas is hurt by uncritical acceptance and thrives on critical examination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/the-best-of-ideas-is-hurt-by-uncritical-acceptance-and-thrives-on/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) [Explore all 63 George Polya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An idea which can be used once is a trick. 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