--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You could use many adjectives to describe…" description: "\"You could use many adjectives to describe Silicon Valley; I don't think 'normal' is one of them.\" — John Collison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/john-collison-16395_could_you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describ_1699136.jpg" --- # You could use many adjectives to describe Silicon Valley… ![“You could use many adjectives to describe Silicon Valley; I don't think 'normal' is one of them.” quote by John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/john-collison-16395_could_you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describ_1699136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/john-collison-16395_could_you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describ_1699136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/john-collison-16395_could_you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describ_1699136.jpg) > “You could use many adjectives to describe Silicon Valley; I don't think 'normal' is one of them.” [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Silicon Valley defies normality, being hyper‑innovative and chaotic, not fitting typical expectations. **In simple terms:** Silicon Valley is unusual. Key Takeaway Embrace unconventional environments. Themes innovation culture technology Mood analytical curious Type observational critical When to use this quote - startup evaluation - team building - risk assessment Key Concepts disruption entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of “normal” hinder innovation? - How can you thrive in chaotic settings? A Different Perspective Normalcy can stifle creativity, but chaos may overwhelm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Silicon valley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon-valley/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes it feels hard to remember that Silicon Valley is an actual place, a collage of parched suburbs, and not just the collective noun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/sometimes-it-feels-hard-to-remember-that-silicon-valley-is-an-actual/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [What makes Silicon Valley really work? It's a unique combination of great educational institutions - especially at Stanford - that generate engineers and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-chambers/what-makes-silicon-valley-really-work-it-s-a-unique-combination-of/) [John T. Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-chambers/) > [You might call me a tech intermediary. I know how to talk to the people in Silicon Valley and then take that information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/you-might-call-me-a-tech-intermediary-i-know-how-to-talk-to-the/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [One of the great things about moving to Silicon Valley is that you're surrounded by all these people who've done it before. This place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/one-of-the-great-things-about-moving-to-silicon-valley-is-that-you-re/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Historically, people have flocked to Silicon Valley because of the belief that that's where the latest innovation is happening. It's a snowball effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taavet-hinrikus/historically-people-have-flocked-to-silicon-valley-because-of-the/) [Taavet Hinrikus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taavet-hinrikus/) > [In Delicious's case, it's a great brand that belongs in Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/in-delicious-s-case-it-s-a-great-brand-that-belongs-in-silicon-valley/) [Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/) > [Most competition in Silicon Valley now heads toward there being one monopolistic winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/most-competition-in-silicon-valley-now-heads-toward-there-being-one/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [Silicon Valley is super competitive and super expensive for talent, for office space, for everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-blecharczyk/silicon-valley-is-super-competitive-and-super-expensive-for-talent/) [Nathan Blecharczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-blecharczyk/) > [My sense is that we're ready for another industrial revolution in this country. The great minds and innovators of Silicon Valley would come through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-huntsman-jr/my-sense-is-that-we-re-ready-for-another-industrial-revolution-in/) [Jon Huntsman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-huntsman-jr/) > [We need to think about what Silicon Valley can contribute to the country - not just that somehow government bureaucrats should listen to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/we-need-to-think-about-what-silicon-valley-can-contribute-to-the/) [Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/) > [I would say Silicon Valley and New York have inflated salaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-reed/i-would-say-silicon-valley-and-new-york-have-inflated-salaries/) [Harper Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-reed/) > [I'm probably the worst Silicon Valley insider ever. I don't hang out with Silicon Valley people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/i-m-probably-the-worst-silicon-valley-insider-ever-i-don-t-hang-out/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Silicon Valley is like Wall Street in that it will fill and pursue market opportunities to their logical extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/silicon-valley-is-like-wall-street-in-that-it-will-fill-and-pursue/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Silicon Valley does not breed great technology. Instead, the smartest people from around the world tend to move to Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-collison/silicon-valley-does-not-breed-great-technology-instead-the-smartest/) [Patrick Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-collison/) > [The thing we should all be looking for are people who want to make a difference. I'm a big believer in the Silicon Valley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/the-thing-we-should-all-be-looking-for-are-people-who-want-to-make-a/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) ## More by John Collison > [Culture is what happens when the CEO isn't in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/culture-is-what-happens-when-the-ceo-isn-t-in-the-room/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [For Stripe, being inventive is just about applying the right solutions from other areas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/for-stripe-being-inventive-is-just-about-applying-the-right-solutions/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [Stripe was very much the product of our past experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/stripe-was-very-much-the-product-of-our-past-experiences/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [Our initial idea with Stripe was that for people like us - those building apps and websites - it was incredibly difficult to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/our-initial-idea-with-stripe-was-that-for-people-like-us-those/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [I think there is this very nice, if at times dangerous, untethered optimism that exists in Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/i-think-there-is-this-very-nice-if-at-times-dangerous-untethered/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [Marketplaces by their nature tend to grow faster than most other companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/marketplaces-by-their-nature-tend-to-grow-faster-than-most-other/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [Part of Stripe's vision is linking people better on the web.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/part-of-stripe-s-vision-is-linking-people-better-on-the-web/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [It's easy to talk to people over the Web, but it's not very easy to trigger transactions. That's the thing we set out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/it-s-easy-to-talk-to-people-over-the-web-but-it-s-not-very-easy-to/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [As long as the Internet economy continues to grow, Stripe will continue to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/as-long-as-the-internet-economy-continues-to-grow-stripe-will/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [Stripe really did come about because we were really appalled by how hard it was to charge for things online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/stripe-really-did-come-about-because-we-were-really-appalled-by-how/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [No batch of 10 people will have as much an influence on the company as those first 10 people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/no-batch-of-10-people-will-have-as-much-an-influence-on-the-company/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [With PayPal, you have to send people over to their website... whereas with Stripe, we offer a way to integrate payments into the website,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/with-paypal-you-have-to-send-people-over-to-their-website-whereas/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [Advertising obviously helps with awareness, but if you look at some of the most successful companies, they're actually not generally ad-driven when it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/advertising-obviously-helps-with-awareness-but-if-you-look-at-some-of/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [Coming from Ireland, it's quite hard to do a startup because you're culturally so far away from what everyone else is doing. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/coming-from-ireland-it-s-quite-hard-to-do-a-startup-because-you-re/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [The values we developed were instrumental in gaining a competitive advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/the-values-we-developed-were-instrumental-in-gaining-a-competitive/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) [Explore all 40 John Collison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) ## More Adjectives quotes > [To write or even speak English is not a science but an art. There are no reliable words… Whoever writes English is involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/to-write-or-even-speak-english-is-not-a-science-but-an-art-there-are/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [In the history of the concept of number has been adjective (three cows, three monads) and noun (three, pure and simple), and now ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mazur/in-the-history-of-the-concept-of-number-has-been-adjective-three-cows/) [Barry Mazur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mazur/) > [In my opinion, using different kinds of epithets and adjectives in connection with the word democracy is a sign of mere hypocrisy, to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/in-my-opinion-using-different-kinds-of-epithets-and-adjectives-in/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [But what is memory if not the language of feeling, a dictionary of faces and days and smells which repeat themselves like the verbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/but-what-is-memory-if-not-the-language-of-feeling-a-dictionary-of/) [Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [I will give you my definition of a nation, and you can add the adjective 'Jewish.' A Nation is, in my mind, an historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/i-will-give-you-my-definition-of-a-nation-and-you-can-add-the/) [Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/) > [The mind that thought of light, heavy, grey, yellow, still, swift, also conceived of magic that would make heavy things light and able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-mind-that-thought-of-light-heavy-grey-yellow-still-swift-also/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [Whatever you want to say, there is only one word to express it, only one verb to give it movement, only one adjective to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-you-want-to-say-there-is-only-one-word-to-express-it-only/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English―it is the modern way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-notice-that-you-use-plain-simple-language-short-words-and-brief/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Purity of action guided Janis's behavior. If she was going to be good, she was very, very good. If she was going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/purity-of-action-guided-janis-s-behavior-if-she-was-going-to-be-good/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [I have been called 'Bongshell' the day I stepped into showbiz. So, any adjective coming my way, I take it positively. Sometimes it's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipasha-basu/i-have-been-called-bongshell-the-day-i-stepped-into-showbiz-so-any/) [Bipasha Basu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bipasha-basu/) > [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [anything being perceived as being superior takes the noun. And everything that isn't, that's judged to be inferior, requires an adjective. So there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/anything-being-perceived-as-being-superior-takes-the-noun-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The only sort of descriptive adjective or catch phrase for my music would be 'eclectic.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/the-only-sort-of-descriptive-adjective-or-catch-phrase-for-my-music/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) Browse all 239 Adjectives quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You could use many adjectives to describe Silicon Valley; I don't think 'normal' is one of them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Collison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describe-silicon-valley-i-don-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adjectives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describe-silicon-valley-i-don-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/john-collison-16395_could_you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describ_1699136.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/john-collison-16395_could_you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describ_1699136.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/john-collison-16395_could_you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describ_1699136.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You could use many adjectives to describe Silicon Valley; I don't think 'normal' is one of them.” — John Collison", "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": "John Collison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You could use many adjectives to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describe-silicon-valley-i-don-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/you-could-use-many-adjectives-to-describe-silicon-valley-i-don-t/#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 } } ] } ```