---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Strategy is not the consequence of…"
description: "\"Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.\" — Henry Mintzberg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/henry-mintzberg-10810_consequence_strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-plann_2511118.png"
---

#  Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the…

![“Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.” quote by Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/henry-mintzberg-10810_consequence_strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-plann_2511118.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/henry-mintzberg-10810_consequence_strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-plann_2511118.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/henry-mintzberg-10810_consequence_strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-plann_2511118.png)

> “Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.”

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Strategy emerges from intuition and emergent patterns, not from rigid plans.

**In simple terms:** Strategy is born from insight, not planning.

Key Takeaway

Trust intuition, let strategy evolve.

Themes

strategy intuition emergence planning leadership

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- business development
- product design
- crisis response
- team leadership

Key Concepts

Complex systems adaptive thinking decision making

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance intuition with analysis?
- When should you defer to a plan?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on intuition can ignore data and cause blind spots.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite/) [Opposite Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-starting-1157500/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) [Planning Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning-opposite-1157499/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) [Starting point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-point/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Strategy Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy-consequence-1157501/)

## Related quotes

> [“Not miscalculation, bad strategy is the active avoidance of the hard work of crafting a good strategy. One common reason for choosing avoidance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-rumelt/not-miscalculation-bad-strategy-is-the-active-avoidance-of-the-hard-2/)

[Richard P. Rumelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-rumelt/)

> [“The moment your dreams and your revelation take a special direction while your plans and actions take the opposite direction you commit yourself into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-moment-your-dreams-and-your-revelation-take-a-special-direction/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [“Absolute means Universal or fixed. So I think nothing is fixed and universal in Conscious manner. But I also think everything is fixed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajendra-prasad-ojha/absolute-means-universal-or-fixed-so-i-think-nothing-is-fixed-and/)

[Rajendra Prasad Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajendra-prasad-ojha/)

> [When what has been created in time according to the temporal order has reached maturity, it ceases from natural growth. But when what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximus-the-confessor/when-what-has-been-created-in-time-according-to-the-temporal-order/)

[Maximus the Confessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximus-the-confessor/)

> [“A BURNING DESIRE TO BE, AND TO DO is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-burning-desire-to-be-and-to-do-is-the-starting-point-from-which-the/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [“I can’t leave him. I made a promise.” I start to explain it, but I don’t even know how to begin. How do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-can-t-leave-him-i-made-a-promise-i-start-to-explain-it-but-i-don-t/)

[Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/)

> [There are many lessons to learn. Naming just one is next to impossible. However, learning to love and be loved is a good starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hill/there-are-many-lessons-to-learn-naming-just-one-is-next-to-impossible/)

[Faith Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hill/)

> [You don't go to school to become the best chef in the world right after you graduate. School is always a starting point so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-yamaguchi/you-don-t-go-to-school-to-become-the-best-chef-in-the-world-right/)

[Roy Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-yamaguchi/)

> [“When a writer uses his secret wounds as his starting point, he is, whether he is aware of it or not, putting great faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-jackson/when-a-writer-uses-his-secret-wounds-as-his-starting-point-he-is/)

[Michael D. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-jackson/)

> [I'm a historian by training and by conviction. And so the thing that has throughout informed my thinking about international relations is history. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-m-a-historian-by-training-and-by-conviction-and-so-the-thing-that/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [There are numerous ways to be classy and one of them starts with what you are wearing. A strand of classic white pearls is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-numerous-ways-to-be-classy-and-one-of-them-starts-with-what/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The starting point of sanctification is the filthiness, corruption, or stain of sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ames/the-starting-point-of-sanctification-is-the-filthiness-corruption-or/)

[William Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ames/)

> [“Rock is a commercially made mass music and this must be the starting point for its celebration as well as for its dismissal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-frith/rock-is-a-commercially-made-mass-music-and-this-must-be-the-starting/)

[Simon Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-frith/)

> [“As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-truslow-adams/as-we-look-over-the-list-of-the-early-leaders-of-the-republic/)

[James Truslow Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-truslow-adams/)

> [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

## More by Henry Mintzberg

> [Everyone is against micro managing but macro managing means you're working at the big picture but don't know the details.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/everyone-is-against-micro-managing-but-macro-managing-means-you-re/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [To 'turn around' is to end up facing the same way. Maybe that is the problem, all the turning organizations around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/to-turn-around-is-to-end-up-facing-the-same-way-maybe-that-is-the/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Never set out to be the best. It's too low a standard. Set out to be good. Do Your best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/never-set-out-to-be-the-best-it-s-too-low-a-standard-set-out-to-be/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [“being a manager’ means not merely assuming a position of authority but also becoming more dependent on others,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/being-a-manager-means-not-merely-assuming-a-position-of-authority-but/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Basically, managing is about influencing action. Managing is about helping organizations and units to get things done, which means action. Sometimes, managers manage actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/basically-managing-is-about-influencing-action-managing-is-about/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Leadership, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/leadership-like-swimming-cannot-be-learned-by-reading-about-it/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Empowerment is what managers do to people. Engagement is what managers do with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/empowerment-is-what-managers-do-to-people-engagement-is-what-managers/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [“A good part of the work of managing involves doing what specialists do, but in particular ways that make use of the manager’s special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/a-good-part-of-the-work-of-managing-involves-doing-what-specialists/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Why does every generation have to think that he lives in the period with the greatest turbulence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/why-does-every-generation-have-to-think-that-he-lives-in-the-period/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Management is a curious phenomenon. It is generously paid, enormously influential, and significantly devoid of common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/management-is-a-curious-phenomenon-it-is-generously-paid-enormously/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [So technologies, whether it is a telephone or an iPhone, computers in general or automobiles, television even, all individualize us. We all sit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/so-technologies-whether-it-is-a-telephone-or-an-iphone-computers-in/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Data don't generate theory - only researchers do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/data-don-t-generate-theory-only-researchers-do-that/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Effective managing therefore happens where art , craft, and science meet. But in a classroom of students without managerial experience, these have no place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/effective-managing-therefore-happens-where-art-craft-and-science-meet/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Corporations are social institutions. If they don't serve society, they have no business existing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/corporations-are-social-institutions-if-they-don-t-serve-society-they/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

> [Corporations are economic entities, to be sure, but they are also social institutions that must justify their existence by their overall contribution to society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/corporations-are-economic-entities-to-be-sure-but-they-are-also/)

[Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

[Explore all 63 Henry Mintzberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/)

## More Consequence quotes

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [It's easy to make mistakes. It's living with the consequences of them that's the hardest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/it-s-easy-to-make-mistakes-it-s-living-with-the-consequences-of-them/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [Actions have consequences... first rule of life. And the second rule is this - you are the only one responsible for your own actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/actions-have-consequences-first-rule-of-life-and-the-second-rule-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [There is no silver bullet. There are always options and the options have consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/there-is-no-silver-bullet-there-are-always-options-and-the-options/)

[Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/)

> [“Each day I learn that every single action we take has its own consequence – for either good or bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-dye/each-day-i-learn-that-every-single-action-we-take-has-its-own/)

[Ginny Dye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginny-dye/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [If you wish to be a lawyer, attach no consequence to the place you are in, or the person you are with; but get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-you-wish-to-be-a-lawyer-attach-no-consequence-to-the-place-you-are/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Any kind of restrictions put on free speech would have worse consequences than bullying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-starlight/any-kind-of-restrictions-put-on-free-speech-would-have-worse/)

[Lady Starlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-starlight/)

> [So, I'm not the only one who believes that there is such a thing as "the law of gravity," and if it's a law,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/so-i-m-not-the-only-one-who-believes-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as/)

[Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/)

> [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/)

[George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/)

[Browse all 3,099 Consequence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Mintzberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-planning-but-the-opposite-its/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consequence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-planning-but-the-opposite-its/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/henry-mintzberg-10810_consequence_strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-plann_2511118.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/henry-mintzberg-10810_consequence_strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-plann_2511118.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/henry-mintzberg-10810_consequence_strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-plann_2511118.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.” — Henry Mintzberg",
                "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": "Henry Mintzberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Strategy is not the consequence of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-planning-but-the-opposite-its/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/strategy-is-not-the-consequence-of-planning-but-the-opposite-its/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
