---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In other words, the rule about great…"
description: "\"“In other words, the rule about great scientific advances is that to make them you have to break the rules. Nobody has ever won a Nobel Prize by doing ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/joi-ito-49243_nobel_in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scie_2945998.jpg"
---

#  In other words, the rule about great scientific advances…

![“In other words, the rule about great scientific advances is that to make them you have to break the rules. Nobody has ever won a Nobel Prize by doing what they’re told, or even by following someone else’s blueprints. In” quote by Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/joi-ito-49243_nobel_in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scie_2945998.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/joi-ito-49243_nobel_in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scie_2945998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/joi-ito-49243_nobel_in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scie_2945998.jpg)

> ““In other words, the rule about great scientific advances is that to make them you have to break the rules. Nobody has ever won a Nobel Prize by doing what they’re told, or even by following someone else’s blueprints. In””

[Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

## About This Quote

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

Breakthroughs often require defying conventions; innovation thrives on challenging established norms rather than copying.

**In simple terms:** Great discoveries need rule‑breaking, not copying.

Key Takeaway

Question norms to spark innovation.

Themes

creativity disruption progress

Mood

inspirational provocative

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- research labs
- startup culture
- artistic creation
- policy reform

Key Concepts

innovation theory risk taking

Questions to Reflect On

- Which rules are worth breaking?
- What safeguards can balance innovation and responsibility?

A Different Perspective

Risk of reckless disregard for safety.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Break The Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-the-rules/) [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/)

[Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/)

> [I tried to explain to her the significance of the great poet, but without much success, The Waste Land not figuring very largely in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/i-tried-to-explain-to-her-the-significance-of-the-great-poet-but/)

[Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/)

> [“SOYINKA WON THE NOBEL PRIZE ACHEBE, LITERARY COMMANDER P.D. JAMES, WE LOVE HER AGATHA CHRISTIE, QUEEN OF CRIME”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-david/soyinka-won-the-nobel-prize-achebe-literary-commander-p-d-james-we/)

[S. A. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-david/)

> [It's a pity that nobody has found an exploding black hole. If they had, I would have won a Nobel prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/it-s-a-pity-that-nobody-has-found-an-exploding-black-hole-if-they-had/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [I should pay attention to what I know and not talk more just because I won a Nobel Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-tirole/i-should-pay-attention-to-what-i-know-and-not-talk-more-just-because/)

[Jean Tirole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-tirole/)

> [When Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize for Literature at the age of 88, she was the oldest person ever to receive the prize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/when-doris-lessing-won-the-nobel-prize-for-literature-at-the-age-of/)

[Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/)

> [I read once, which I loved so much, that this great physicist who won a Nobel Prize said that every day when he got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-sawyer/i-read-once-which-i-loved-so-much-that-this-great-physicist-who-won-a/)

[Diane Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-sawyer/)

> [“I wish I had my beta-blockers handy. \[ Comment when told that he had won a Nobel prize, referring to the drug he discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-had-my-beta-blockers-handy-comment-when-told-that-he-had-won/)

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

> [“It was quite the most incredible event that has ever happened to me in my life. It was almost as incredible as if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/it-was-quite-the-most-incredible-event-that-has-ever-happened-to-me/)

[Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/)

> [“In 1962, Watson, Crick, and Wilkins won the Nobel Prize for their discovery. Franklin was not included in the prize. She had died in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/in-1962-watson-crick-and-wilkins-won-the-nobel-prize-for-their/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“Francis Crick, who won the Nobel Prize for helping to discover the structure of DNA molecules, proposed in 1973 that life may have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-a-grudem/francis-crick-who-won-the-nobel-prize-for-helping-to-discover-the/)

[Wayne A. Grudem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-a-grudem/)

> [In the 1970s, I did a Ph.D. with Fred Sanger in Cambridge who was in the process of inventing ways to map what's inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/in-the-1970s-i-did-a-ph-d-with-fred-sanger-in-cambridge-who-was-in/)

[Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/)

> [Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binyavanga-wainaina/never-have-a-picture-of-a-well-adjusted-african-on-the-cover-of-your/)

[Binyavanga Wainaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binyavanga-wainaina/)

> [After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday!" And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/after-i-received-the-news-malia-walked-in-and-said-daddy-you-won-the/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/the-arab-world-also-won-the-nobel-with-me-i-believe-that/)

[Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/)

## More by Joi Ito

> [“One of the problems is that our traditional educational system—and most of our business training—reward focus and execution, limiting the opportunity to become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/one-of-the-problems-is-that-our-traditional-educational-system-and/)

[Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

> [“Instead of rules or even strategy, the key to success is culture. Whether we are talking about our moral compass, our world view, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/instead-of-rules-or-even-strategy-the-key-to-success-is-culture/)

[Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

> [“You don’t need to own anything anymore,” he says. “Not a factory, not a warehouse, not even an office.” In other words, Casey allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/you-don-t-need-to-own-anything-anymore-he-says-not-a-factory-not-a/)

[Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

> [“If you were to condense Earth’s history into a single year, land-dwelling animals come onstage around December 1, and the dinosaurs don’t go extinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/if-you-were-to-condense-earth-s-history-into-a-single-year-land/)

[Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

> [“Resnick and Siegel both agreed that learning to code wasn’t just about training the computer engineers of the future. It was a terrifically efficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/resnick-and-siegel-both-agreed-that-learning-to-code-wasn-t-just/)

[Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

> [“The new rule, then, is to embrace risk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/the-new-rule-then-is-to-embrace-risk/)

[Joi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

[Explore all 7 Joi Ito quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/)

## More Nobel quotes

> [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/)

[Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/)

> [Alfred Nobel believed that social changes are brought about slowly, and sometimes by indirect means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertha-von-suttner/alfred-nobel-believed-that-social-changes-are-brought-about-slowly/)

[Bertha von Suttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertha-von-suttner/)

> [The Nobel is a ticket to one's own funeral. No one has ever done anything after he got it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-nobel-is-a-ticket-to-one-s-own-funeral-no-one-has-ever-done/)

[T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/)

> [Alfred Nobel stipulated that no distinction of race or colour will determine who received of his generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdus-salam/alfred-nobel-stipulated-that-no-distinction-of-race-or-colour-will/)

[Abdus Salam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdus-salam/)

> [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/)

[Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/)

> [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [The literature Nobel laureate of this year has said that an author can do anything as long as his readers believe him.A scientist cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sune-bergstrom/the-literature-nobel-laureate-of-this-year-has-said-that-an-author/)

Sune Bergstrom

> [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [The Oscar seems to have been confused with the Nobel Peace Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-maslin/the-oscar-seems-to-have-been-confused-with-the-nobel-peace-prize/)

[Janet Maslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-maslin/)

> [I thought they would never select an Eastern writer for the Nobel. I was surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-thought-they-would-never-select-an-eastern-writer-for-the-nobel-i/)

[Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/)

> [Well I don't know how many pounds make up a ton, Of all the nobel prizes that I've never won, And I may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/well-i-don-t-know-how-many-pounds-make-up-a-ton-of-all-the-nobel/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [I think the team that successfully puts together an economic and social policy framework for global full employment in decent working conditions based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-somavia/i-think-the-team-that-successfully-puts-together-an-economic-and/)

[Juan Somavia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-somavia/)

> [They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/they-can-t-give-a-nobel-to-someone-who-s-dead-so-i-think-they-were/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [We are going to see a steady stream, I predict, of Nobel prizes coming out of chemistry and given to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/we-are-going-to-see-a-steady-stream-i-predict-of-nobel-prizes-coming/)

[Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/)

> [ \[on what characteristics Nobel prize winning physicists had in common\] I cannot think of a single one, not even intelligence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/on-what-characteristics-nobel-prize-winning-physicists-had-in-common/)

[Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/)

[Browse all 435 Nobel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In other words, the rule about great scientific advances is that to make them you have to break the rules. Nobody has ever won a Nobel Prize by doing what they’re told, or even by following someone else’s blueprints. In”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joi Ito"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scientific-advances-is-that-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Nobel"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scientific-advances-is-that-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/joi-ito-49243_nobel_in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scie_2945998.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/joi-ito-49243_nobel_in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scie_2945998.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/joi-ito-49243_nobel_in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scie_2945998.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In other words, the rule about great scientific advances is that to make them you have to break the rules…” — Joi Ito",
                "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": "Joi Ito",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joi-ito/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In other words, the rule about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scientific-advances-is-that-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joi-ito/in-other-words-the-rule-about-great-scientific-advances-is-that-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
