--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...the proper response to a lousy idea is…" description: "\"“...the proper response to a lousy idea is not to stop thinking. It is to come up with a better idea.”\" — Kevin Kelly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/kevin-kelly-2418_ideas_the-proper-response-to-a-lousy-idea-is-n_994323.png" --- # ...the proper response to a lousy idea is not to stop… ![“...the proper response to a lousy idea is not to stop thinking. It is to come up with a better idea.” quote by Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/kevin-kelly-2418_ideas_the-proper-response-to-a-lousy-idea-is-n_994323.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/kevin-kelly-2418_ideas_the-proper-response-to-a-lousy-idea-is-n_994323.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/kevin-kelly-2418_ideas_the-proper-response-to-a-lousy-idea-is-n_994323.png) > ““...the proper response to a lousy idea is not to stop thinking. It is to come up with a better idea.”” [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When an idea fails, generate a better one instead of abandoning thinking. **In simple terms:** Replace bad ideas with better ones. Key Takeaway Iterate creatively. Themes creativity problem solving resilience Mood optimistic determined Type business inspirational When to use this quote - product development - writing - strategic planning Key Concepts innovation design thinking Questions to Reflect On - What bad ideas have you improved? - When should you discard an idea? A Different Perspective Not all ideas can be salvaged; sometimes discarding is wiser. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-idea-524684/) [Idea Stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-stop-311755/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Proper Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proper-response-741573/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s usually not a good idea to stop doing features entirely, to “clean up” the code. 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"If you ever stop saying that, I'll know it's time to start worrying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/this-is-a-bad-idea-if-you-ever-stop-saying-that-i-ll-know-it-s-time/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [Gratitude is the proper response for the absolute astonishment of getting to be alive, and aware, and an essential part of this crazy, sprawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/gratitude-is-the-proper-response-for-the-absolute-astonishment-of/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The proper response, as Hanukkah teaches, is not to curse the darkness but to light a candle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-greenberg/the-proper-response-as-hanukkah-teaches-is-not-to-curse-the-darkness/) [Irving Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-greenberg/) > [“If I remain silent, the proper response is, “You don’t say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-i-remain-silent-the-proper-response-is-you-don-t-say/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Why don't you have a right to say you are Jesus? And why isn't the proper response to that "congratulations"?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-stephen-szasz/why-don-t-you-have-a-right-to-say-you-are-jesus-and-why-isn-t-the/) [Thomas Stephen Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-stephen-szasz/) > [Astonishment is the proper response to reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/astonishment-is-the-proper-response-to-reality/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“The proper response to “I love you” is never “what, when, where, why, and how,” no matter how sincerely you say it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-proper-response-to-i-love-you-is-never-what-when-where-why-and/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The proper response to a great work of art is to enter it as though there were nothing else in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/the-proper-response-to-a-great-work-of-art-is-to-enter-it-as-though/) [Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/) > [The proper response to difficulty is not to retreat. It is to prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-proper-response-to-difficulty-is-not-to-retreat-it-is-to-prevail/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Instead of worrying about who's American and who's not, here's a better idea: Create incentives for any global company to do what we'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/instead-of-worrying-about-who-s-american-and-who-s-not-here-s-a/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [If somebody has a better idea than me, I'll take it if it surpasses what we have on the page because at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-ritchie/if-somebody-has-a-better-idea-than-me-i-ll-take-it-if-it-surpasses/) [Guy Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-ritchie/) > [That's one of the things I love about entrepreneurship is that if you see something that you don't like - and if you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-calacanis/that-s-one-of-the-things-i-love-about-entrepreneurship-is-that-if-you/) [Jason Calacanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-calacanis/) > [“Maybe when you're married, you'll have a better idea of what desperate lengths you'll go to...for your sake,I hope not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/maybe-when-you-re-married-you-ll-have-a-better-idea-of-what-desperate/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) ## More by Kevin Kelly > [We are reaching deep within ourselves to adjust the master knob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-are-reaching-deep-within-ourselves-to-adjust-the-master-knob/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [This is the culmination of a lot of people's vision. I think this is just another step towards making Central Michigan football among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/this-is-the-culmination-of-a-lot-of-people-s-vision-i-think-this-is/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“When copies are free, you need to sell things that cannot be copied. Well, what can’t be copied? Trust, for instance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/when-copies-are-free-you-need-to-sell-things-that-cannot-be-copied/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“Existence, it seems, is chiefly maintenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/existence-it-seems-is-chiefly-maintenance/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“We have no certainty we’ll contact extraterrestrial beings from one of the billion earthlike planets in the sky in the next 200 years, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-have-no-certainty-we-ll-contact-extraterrestrial-beings-from-one/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [Changing things from the top down works when things are stable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/changing-things-from-the-top-down-works-when-things-are-stable/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [It's generally much easier to kill an organization than to change it substantially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/it-s-generally-much-easier-to-kill-an-organization-than-to-change-it/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [The only organization capable of unprejudiced growth, or unguided learning, is a network. All othertopologies limit what can happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/the-only-organization-capable-of-unprejudiced-growth-or-unguided/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [We have to get better at believing the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-have-to-get-better-at-believing-the-impossible/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“Our most important mechanical inventions are not machines that do what humans do better, but machines that can do things we can’t do at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/our-most-important-mechanical-inventions-are-not-machines-that-do/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“In the universal library, no book will be an island. It’s all connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/in-the-universal-library-no-book-will-be-an-island-it-s-all-connected/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [Singularity is the point at which "all the change in the last million years will be superseded by the change in the next five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/singularity-is-the-point-at-which-all-the-change-in-the-last-million/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [We tend to think of the mind of an organization residing in the CEO and the organization's top managers, perhaps with the help of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-tend-to-think-of-the-mind-of-an-organization-residing-in-the-ceo/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [The smallest thought could not exist unless the entire universe and the laws of physics were in some way encouraging it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/the-smallest-thought-could-not-exist-unless-the-entire-universe-and/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“From the days of Sumerian clay tablets until now, humans have “published” at least 310 million books, 1.4 billion articles and essays, 180 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/from-the-days-of-sumerian-clay-tablets-until-now-humans-have/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) [Explore all 167 Kevin Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. 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It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...the proper response to a lousy idea is not to stop thinking. 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