--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difficulty lies, not in the new…" description: "\"The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones.\" — John Maynard Keynes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-maynard-keynes-1380_adversity_the-difficulty-lies-not-in-the-new-ideas_1115767.png" --- # The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping… ![“The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones.” quote by John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-maynard-keynes-1380_adversity_the-difficulty-lies-not-in-the-new-ideas_1115767.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-maynard-keynes-1380_adversity_the-difficulty-lies-not-in-the-new-ideas_1115767.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-maynard-keynes-1380_adversity_the-difficulty-lies-not-in-the-new-ideas_1115767.png) > “The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones.” [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. New ideas are easy to conceive, but abandoning entrenched old ideas is the real challenge. **In simple terms:** The hard part is letting go of old habits, not creating new ones. Key Takeaway Focus on unlearning as much as learning. Themes innovation change tradition learning Mood thoughtful determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - business strategy - personal development - education reform Key Concepts cognitive inertia paradigm shift Questions to Reflect On - Which old belief holds you back? - How can you create space for new thinking? 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The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-ideas-which-are-here-expressed-so-laboriously-are-extremely/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [“The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas,” John Maynard Keynes famously observed, “but in escaping from the old ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/the-difficulty-lies-not-in-the-new-ideas-john-maynard-keynes-famously/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [There is no such thing as a boring person: everyone has stories and insights worth sharing. While on the road, we let our phones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-boring-person-everyone-has-stories-and/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Photographers do themselves a disservice by talking too much about the equipment they use. Consequently people don't take them seriously as creators in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-turnley/photographers-do-themselves-a-disservice-by-talking-too-much-about/) [Peter Turnley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-turnley/) > [My impression was and is that many programming languages and tools represent solutions looking for problems, and I was determined that my work should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarne-stroustrup/my-impression-was-and-is-that-many-programming-languages-and-tools/) [Bjarne Stroustrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarne-stroustrup/) > [What inspires me is what I see people wearing on the streets of the world from New York to London and beyond. I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-madden/what-inspires-me-is-what-i-see-people-wearing-on-the-streets-of-the/) [Steve Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-madden/) ## More by John Maynard Keynes > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [If you owe your bank manager a thousand pounds, you are at his mercy. 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We shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/when-the-accumulation-of-wealth-is-no-longer-of-high-social/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Of the maxims of orthodox finance none, surely, is more anti-social than the fetish of liquidity, the doctrine of that it is a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/of-the-maxims-of-orthodox-finance-none-surely-is-more-anti-social/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [The outstanding faults of the economic society in which we live are its failure to provide for full employment and its arbitrary and inequitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-outstanding-faults-of-the-economic-society-in-which-we-live-are/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [I conceive, therefore, that a somewhat comprehensive socialisation of investment will prove the means of securing an approximation to full employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/i-conceive-therefore-that-a-somewhat-comprehensive-socialisation-of/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/capitalism-is-the-astounding-belief-that-the-most-wickedest-of-men/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Economics is a very dangerous science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/economics-is-a-very-dangerous-science/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Whenever you save five shillings you put a man out of work for a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/whenever-you-save-five-shillings-you-put-a-man-out-of-work-for-a-day/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) [Explore all 246 John Maynard Keynes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) James Buckham Kennedy > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) S.E. 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