--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Inventions that are not made, like babies…" description: "\"Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem very impressive f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_absence_inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies_118769.jpg" --- # Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not… ![“Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem very impressive for quite a long while.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_absence_inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies_118769.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_absence_inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies_118769.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_absence_inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies_118769.jpg) > “Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem very impressive for quite a long while.” [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unrealized inventions and unborn children go unnoticed; without new innovations, existing achievements appear exaggeratedly impressive for a time. **In simple terms:** Absence of novelty inflates the value of old things. Key Takeaway Innovation drives perception of progress. Themes innovation perception progress obsolescence Mood nostalgia critical Type observation philosophical When to use this quote - product development cycles - historical analysis - career planning Key Concepts psychology of novelty cultural memory Practical Applications - encourage continuous R&D - celebrate incremental improvements Questions to Reflect On - How does scarcity of innovation affect societal optimism? - When is it better to let an idea remain unrealized? A Different Perspective Some 'unmade' ideas may be ethically undesirable, so their absence can be positive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Inventions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventions/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-rarely-2/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are not missed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-not/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [So I think the fans will be totally interested in the new developments and delighted that the old developments are still there and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-katsulas/so-i-think-the-fans-will-be-totally-interested-in-the-new/) [Andreas Katsulas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-katsulas/) > [And many such good inventions are there, that they are like woman's breasts: useful at the same time, and pleasant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/and-many-such-good-inventions-are-there-that-they-are-like-woman-s/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [For there's nothing we read of in torture's inventions, Like a well-meaning dunce, with the best of intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/for-there-s-nothing-we-read-of-in-torture-s-inventions-like-a-well/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [I like science fiction. I am quite a technologically kind of up-to-date person. I like seeing what the new developments are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-butterfield/i-like-science-fiction-i-am-quite-a-technologically-kind-of-up-to/) [Asa Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-butterfield/) > [My first show at MoMA in New York was pictures of new developments along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. They were housing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/my-first-show-at-moma-in-new-york-was-pictures-of-new-developments/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [“Besides endless training and monster slaying, there has been a couple of new developments in our town.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-the-noob/besides-endless-training-and-monster-slaying-there-has-been-a-couple/) Steve the Noob > [There is every indication that we are to see new developments of the power of aggregated capital to serve civilization, and that the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/there-is-every-indication-that-we-are-to-see-new-developments-of-the/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [From shadow queen to puppet queen in one rule. That's very impressive. When he rules your country and he tells you he loves you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/from-shadow-queen-to-puppet-queen-in-one-rule-that-s-very-impressive/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [ A very, very impressive director, Tomas Alfredson. It's only his second film \[ 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'\], but he's a real find. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/a-very-very-impressive-director-tomas-alfredson-it-s-only-his-second/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [Very impressive. Where did you learn that?" Made it up just now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/very-impressive-where-did-you-learn-that-made-it-up-just-now/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [I wouldn't be able to do anything with my vampire horde except make it run around in a herd, but it would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-do-anything-with-my-vampire-horde-except-make/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [I went to a psychoanalyst. He explained things about my love life that I found very impressive... almost scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney-spears/i-went-to-a-psychoanalyst-he-explained-things-about-my-love-life-that/) [Britney Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britney-spears/) > [I consider myself lucky that Sheila Johnson, the cofounder of Black Entertainment Television, didn't choose to rest on her very impressive business laurels. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-king/i-consider-myself-lucky-that-sheila-johnson-the-cofounder-of-black/) [Gayle King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-king/) ## More by John Kenneth Galbraith > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. One was the moral difference between spending for welfare and spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/world-war-ii-revealed-two-of-the-enduring-features-of-the-keynesian/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/money-is-what-fueled-the-industrial-society-but-in-the-informational/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Genius is a rising stock market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/genius-is-a-rising-stock-market/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Mr. David Stockman has said that supply-side economics was merely a cover for the trickle-down approach to economic policy—what an older and less elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/mr-david-stockman-has-said-that-supply-side-economics-was-merely-a/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [It was not hard to persuade people that the market was sound; as always in such times they asked only that the dispiriting voices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/it-was-not-hard-to-persuade-people-that-the-market-was-sound-as/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) [Explore all 434 John Kenneth Galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. 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