--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fact, the only way to remain creative…" description: "\"In fact, the only way to remain creative over time--to not be undone by our expertise--is to experiment with ignorance, to stare at things we don't ful..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/jonah-lehrer-9286_creative_in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative_386276.png" --- # In fact, the only way to remain creative over time--to not… ![“In fact, the only way to remain creative over time--to not be undone by our expertise--is to experiment with ignorance, to stare at things we don't fully understand.” quote by Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/jonah-lehrer-9286_creative_in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative_386276.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/jonah-lehrer-9286_creative_in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative_386276.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/jonah-lehrer-9286_creative_in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative_386276.png) > “In fact, the only way to remain creative over time--to not be undone by our expertise--is to experiment with ignorance, to stare at things we don't fully understand.” [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Maintaining creativity requires embracing uncertainty and learning beyond one's expertise. **In simple terms:** Embrace ignorance to stay creative. Key Takeaway Seek unknowns regularly. Themes creativity learning expertise growth Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research projects - skill diversification - cross‑disciplinary collaboration Key Concepts cognitive flexibility experimentation humility Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance expertise with curiosity? - What unknowns can you explore today? A Different Perspective Ignorance can lead to misguided decisions if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Expertise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expertise/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [People who do a job that claims to be creative have to be alone to recharge their batteries. You can’t live 24 hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/people-who-do-a-job-that-claims-to-be-creative-have-to-be-alone-to/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [The film itself, and my role as Moses, will always remain one of the creative peaks of my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/the-film-itself-and-my-role-as-moses-will-always-remain-one-of-the/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [We need to be willing to risk embarrassment, ask silly questions, surround ourselves with people who don't know what we're talking about. We need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/we-need-to-be-willing-to-risk-embarrassment-ask-silly-questions/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Experts don't know exactly where the boundaries of their expertise are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/experts-don-t-know-exactly-where-the-boundaries-of-their-expertise-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [It's easy to pretend expertise when there's no data to contradict you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/it-s-easy-to-pretend-expertise-when-there-s-no-data-to-contradict-you/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [As the president of Kosovo, I am more concerned about the current situation with the employment standing at around 70 % of the population,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibrahim-rugova/as-the-president-of-kosovo-i-am-more-concerned-about-the-current/) [Ibrahim Rugova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibrahim-rugova/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Japan is already a leader in energy efficiency, and it has a wealth of innovative technologies. We must put this expertise to use creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihiko-noda/japan-is-already-a-leader-in-energy-efficiency-and-it-has-a-wealth-of/) [Yoshihiko Noda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihiko-noda/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [You basically have a group of four spies who are chosen for a mission they feel for the fact of how competent they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-leblanc/you-basically-have-a-group-of-four-spies-who-are-chosen-for-a-mission/) [Matt LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-leblanc/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [When you feel you have good although incomplete expertise, start trying things. If it's not working, try something else; maintain an experimental mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/when-you-feel-you-have-good-although-incomplete-expertise-start/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Education is a lifelong experience. Experience is a lifelong education. Education plus experience equals expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bugeja/education-is-a-lifelong-experience-experience-is-a-lifelong-education/) Michael Bugeja ## More by Jonah Lehrer > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“When the mind is denied the emotional sting of losing , it never figures out how to win.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/when-the-mind-is-denied-the-emotional-sting-of-losing-it-never/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“Insights, after all, come from the overlap between seemingly unrelated thoughts. They emerge when concepts are transposed, when the rules of one place are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/insights-after-all-come-from-the-overlap-between-seemingly-unrelated/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“Every brilliant experiment, like every great work of art, starts with an act of imagination. Unfortunately, our current culture subscribes to a very narrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/every-brilliant-experiment-like-every-great-work-of-art-starts-with/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“You break out of the box by stepping into shackles. From Imagine: How Creativity Works pg 23 (hardcover)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/you-break-out-of-the-box-by-stepping-into-shackles-from-imagine-how/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [So let's not pretend that travel is always fun. We don't spend 10 hours lost in the Louvre because we like it, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/so-let-s-not-pretend-that-travel-is-always-fun-we-don-t-spend-10/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“In fact, most of us see perseverance as a distinctly uncreative approach, the sort of strategy that people with mediocre ideas are forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/in-fact-most-of-us-see-perseverance-as-a-distinctly-uncreative/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Grit is the stubborn refusal to quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/grit-is-the-stubborn-refusal-to-quit/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“Even when alternative views are clearly wrong, being exposed to them still expands our creative potential. In a way, the power of dissent is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/even-when-alternative-views-are-clearly-wrong-being-exposed-to-them/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Cities force us to interact with strangers and with the strange. They pry the mind open. And that is why they are the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/cities-force-us-to-interact-with-strangers-and-with-the-strange-they/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/distance-and-difference-are-the-secret-tonic-of-creativity-when-we/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“Science has discovered that, like any work of literature, the human genome is a text in need of commentary, for what Eliot said of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/science-has-discovered-that-like-any-work-of-literature-the-human/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [...new ideas are merely several old thoughts that occur at the exact same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/new-ideas-are-merely-several-old-thoughts-that-occur-at-the-exact/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Like a work of art, we exceed our materials. Science needs art to frame the mystery, but art needs science so that not everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/like-a-work-of-art-we-exceed-our-materials-science-needs-art-to-frame/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“You might solve a problem while drunk, but you probably won´t notice the answer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/you-might-solve-a-problem-while-drunk-but-you-probably-won-t-notice/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) [Explore all 74 Jonah Lehrer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) ## More Creative quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) [Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In fact, the only way to remain creative over time--to not be undone by our expertise--is to experiment with ignorance, to stare at things we don't fully understand.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonah Lehrer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative-over-time-to-not-be-undone-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative-over-time-to-not-be-undone-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/jonah-lehrer-9286_creative_in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative_386276.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/jonah-lehrer-9286_creative_in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative_386276.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/jonah-lehrer-9286_creative_in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative_386276.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In fact, the only way to remain creative over time--to not be undone by our expertise--is to experiment with…” — Jonah Lehrer", "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": "Jonah Lehrer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In fact, the only way to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative-over-time-to-not-be-undone-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/in-fact-the-only-way-to-remain-creative-over-time-to-not-be-undone-by/#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 } } ] } ```