--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The chances of seeing an idea through to…" description: "\"“The chances of seeing an idea through to completion are inversely proportional to the time you’ve spent talking about it beforehand. ”\" — Jean-Philipp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/jean-philippe-toussaint-37194_time_the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to_2878302.jpg" --- # The chances of seeing an idea through to completion are… ![“The chances of seeing an idea through to completion are inversely proportional to the time you’ve spent talking about it beforehand.” quote by Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/jean-philippe-toussaint-37194_time_the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to_2878302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/jean-philippe-toussaint-37194_time_the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to_2878302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/jean-philippe-toussaint-37194_time_the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to_2878302.jpg) > ““The chances of seeing an idea through to completion are inversely proportional to the time you’ve spent talking about it beforehand. ”” [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Idea completion chances drop as pre‑talk time rises. **In simple terms:** More talk, less chance to finish ideas. Key Takeaway Limit discussion, act quickly. Themes productivity focus execution Mood practical direct Type business motivational When to use this quote - startup planning - creative writing - team meetings Key Concepts project management psychology Questions to Reflect On - How much discussion is enough? - When should you shift to action? A Different Perspective Over‑planning can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The time it takes to feel better about a breakup is directly proportional to the time it takes to feel better about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-behrendt/the-time-it-takes-to-feel-better-about-a-breakup-is-directly/) [Greg Behrendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-behrendt/) > [Greater the number of angles we are capable of looking from, better our chances of seeing the reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/greater-the-number-of-angles-we-are-capable-of-looking-from-better/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [Beauty always takes place in the particular, and if there are no particulars, the chances of seeing it go down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-scarry/beauty-always-takes-place-in-the-particular-and-if-there-are-no/) [Elaine Scarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-scarry/) > [The payoff of a human venture is, in general, inversely proportional to what it is expected to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-payoff-of-a-human-venture-is-in-general-inversely-proportional-to/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The results you produce in life are inversely proportional to the degree to which you are intimidated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ringer/the-results-you-produce-in-life-are-inversely-proportional-to-the/) [Robert Ringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ringer/) > [The appropriate length of a name is inversely proportional to the size of its scope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-jason-dominus/the-appropriate-length-of-a-name-is-inversely-proportional-to-the/) [Mark Jason Dominus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-jason-dominus/) > [In any decision situation, the amount of relevant information available is inversely proportional to the importance of the decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dickson/in-any-decision-situation-the-amount-of-relevant-information/) [Paul Dickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dickson/) > [The exercise of true leadership is inversely proportional to the exercise of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/the-exercise-of-true-leadership-is-inversely-proportional-to-the/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [“the degree to which a client pushes back on the retainer is inversely proportional to their guilt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mitzner/the-degree-to-which-a-client-pushes-back-on-the-retainer-is-inversely/) [Adam Mitzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mitzner/) > [Peace and prosperity are inversely proportional to the level of taxation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pugsley/peace-and-prosperity-are-inversely-proportional-to-the-level-of/) [John Pugsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pugsley/) > [Time is a resource whose supply is inversely proportional to its demand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bruce/time-is-a-resource-whose-supply-is-inversely-proportional-to-its/) [Craig Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bruce/) > [“The speed of the brain is inversely proportional to the speed of the mouth squared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-richard-jacobs/the-speed-of-the-brain-is-inversely-proportional-to-the-speed-of-the/) J. Richard Jacobs > [Appealingness is inversely proportional to attainability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/appealingness-is-inversely-proportional-to-attainability/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I sometimes think that the size of our happiness is inversely proportional to the size of our house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-sometimes-think-that-the-size-of-our-happiness-is-inversely/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“The distance between your Dreams and Reality is inversely proportional to your Efforts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/the-distance-between-your-dreams-and-reality-is-inversely/) [Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/) ## More by Jean-Philippe Toussaint > [“For where books, for instance, always offer a thousand times more than they are, television offers exactly what it is, its essential immediacy, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/for-where-books-for-instance-always-offer-a-thousand-times-more-than/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) > [“For the painful essence of withdrawal does not reside in the present suffering it brings - withdrawal is painless on the level of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/for-the-painful-essence-of-withdrawal-does-not-reside-in-the-present/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) > [“There wasn't a human being for several kilometers around, not a news-stand, not a shop, not a café, not a school. Not a cat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/there-wasn-t-a-human-being-for-several-kilometers-around-not-a-news/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) > [“Les meilleurs livres sont ceux dont on se souvient du fauteuil dans lequel on les a lus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/les-meilleurs-livres-sont-ceux-dont-on-se-souvient-du-fauteuil-dans/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) > [“She misunderstood my method, in my opinion, not realizing that my approach, rather obscure to those unfamiliar, was based on the idea that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/she-misunderstood-my-method-in-my-opinion-not-realizing-that-my/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) > [“In the fight between you and reality, be discouraging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/in-the-fight-between-you-and-reality-be-discouraging/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) > [“Once again, it seemed, I was discovering the truth of the rule, a rule I'd never explicitly formulated to myself, but whose veracity I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/once-again-it-seemed-i-was-discovering-the-truth-of-the-rule-a-rule-i/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) > [“And yet that's the best way to watch television actively: with your eyes closed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/and-yet-that-s-the-best-way-to-watch-television-actively-with-your/) [Jean-Philippe Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) [Explore all 9 Jean-Philippe Toussaint quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/) ## More Time quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) [Browse all 215,255 Time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The chances of seeing an idea through to completion are inversely proportional to the time you’ve spent talking about it beforehand. ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Philippe Toussaint" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to-completion-are-inversely/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to-completion-are-inversely/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/jean-philippe-toussaint-37194_time_the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to_2878302.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/jean-philippe-toussaint-37194_time_the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to_2878302.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/jean-philippe-toussaint-37194_time_the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to_2878302.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The chances of seeing an idea through to completion are inversely proportional to the time you’ve spent…” — Jean-Philippe Toussaint", "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": "Jean-Philippe Toussaint", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-toussaint/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The chances of seeing an idea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to-completion-are-inversely/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-toussaint/the-chances-of-seeing-an-idea-through-to-completion-are-inversely/#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 } } ] } ```