--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how do…" description: "\"[David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how do you have so many good ideas?] Well David, I have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones.\" — Linus Pauling" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/linus-pauling-8508_drs_david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you_1987190.jpg" --- # \[David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how do you have so many… ![“[David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how do you have so many good ideas?] Well David, I have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones.” quote by Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/linus-pauling-8508_drs_david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you_1987190.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/linus-pauling-8508_drs_david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you_1987190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/linus-pauling-8508_drs_david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you_1987190.jpg) > “\[David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how do you have so many good ideas?\] Well David, I have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones.” [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pauline suggests that generating many ideas and discarding the poor ones is a productive creative process, emphasizing quantity to discover quality. **In simple terms:** Create many ideas, discard the bad. Key Takeaway Prioritize idea generation and selection. Themes creativity innovation critical thinking Mood analytical inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - brainstorming sessions - research development - product design Key Concepts design thinking problem solving scientific method Questions to Reflect On - How many ideas are enough? - What criteria define a 'bad' idea? A Different Perspective The approach may undervalue deep refinement of good ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Dr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-dr-3425364/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Drs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drs/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Harker Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harker-asked-3425363/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-david-3425362/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [“Pranab was never so transparent either in expressing his disagreement or support. After returning from an important visit to Washington DC, Pranab chose not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjaya-baru/pranab-was-never-so-transparent-either-in-expressing-his-disagreement/) [Sanjaya Baru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjaya-baru/) > [If you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/if-you-want-to-have-good-ideas-you-must-have-many-ideas/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [If you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas. Most of them will be wrong, and what you have to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/if-you-want-to-have-good-ideas-you-must-have-many-ideas-most-of-them/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-way-to-get-good-ideas-is-to-get-lots-of-ideas-and-throw-the-bad/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Good ideas are not good enough. They need to be God ideas. Just because someone else’s methods work does not mean they will work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-pringle/good-ideas-are-not-good-enough-they-need-to-be-god-ideas-just-because/) [Phil Pringle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-pringle/) > [I generally like very visually striking films. I love a lot of Stanley Kubrick's films. 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He was just an orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-the-fascinating-and-unbelievable-but-true-thing-about-dr/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I like Dr. Daniel Amen's 18/40/60 Rule: When you're 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you're 40, you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-like-dr-daniel-amen-s-18-40-60-rule-when-you-re-18-you-worry-about/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [The only thing that I'm scared of is not livin' up to the expectations of Dr. Dre and Eminem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/the-only-thing-that-i-m-scared-of-is-not-livin-up-to-the-expectations/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [But the saddest difference between them was that Zazetsky, as Luria said, 'fought to regain his lost faculties with the indomitable tenacity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/but-the-saddest-difference-between-them-was-that-zazetsky-as-luria/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) ## More by Linus Pauling > [You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/you-can-trace-every-sickness-every-disease-and-every-ailment-to-a/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Science is the search for truth, that is the effort to understand the world: it involves the rejection of bias, of dogma, of revelation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/science-is-the-search-for-truth-that-is-the-effort-to-understand-the/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [The only sane policy for the world is that of abolishing war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-only-sane-policy-for-the-world-is-that-of-abolishing-war/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Just one living cell in the human body is, more complex than New York City.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/just-one-living-cell-in-the-human-body-is-more-complex-than-new-york/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/satisfaction-of-one-s-curiosity-is-one-of-the-greatest-sources-of/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Science is the search for the truth--it is not a game in which one tries to beat his opponent, to do harm to others.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/science-is-the-search-for-the-truth-it-is-not-a-game-in-which-one/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [ \[Professor Pauling\] confesses that he had harboured the feeling that sooner or later he would be the one to get the DNA structure; and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/professor-pauling-confesses-that-he-had-harboured-the-feeling-that/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-best-way-to-have-a-good-idea-is-to-have-lots-of-ideas/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Every aspect of the world today - even politics and international relations - is affected by chemistry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/every-aspect-of-the-world-today-even-politics-and-international/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [I believe that you can, by taking some simple and inexpensive measures, lead a longer life and extend your years of well-being. My most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/i-believe-that-you-can-by-taking-some-simple-and-inexpensive-measures/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [But I know also that still more interesting discoveries will be made that I have not the imagination to describe - and I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/but-i-know-also-that-still-more-interesting-discoveries-will-be-made/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Man's great power of thinking, remembering, and communicating are responsible for the evolution of civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/man-s-great-power-of-thinking-remembering-and-communicating-are/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-best-way-to-have-a-good-idea-is-to-have-a-lot-of-ideas/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [I try to identify myself with the atoms ... I ask what I would do If I were a carbon atom or a sodium atom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/i-try-to-identify-myself-with-the-atoms-i-ask-what-i-would-do-if-i/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-way-to-get-good-ideas-is-to-get-lots-of-ideas-and-throw-the-bad/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) [Explore all 80 Linus Pauling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [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/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how do you have so many good ideas?] Well David, I have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Linus Pauling" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you-have-so-many-good-ideas-well/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you-have-so-many-good-ideas-well/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/linus-pauling-8508_drs_david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you_1987190.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/linus-pauling-8508_drs_david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you_1987190.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/linus-pauling-8508_drs_david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you_1987190.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how do you have so many good ideas?] Well David, I have a lot of ideas and…” — Linus Pauling", "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": "Linus Pauling", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[David Harker asked: Dr Pauling, how...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you-have-so-many-good-ideas-well/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/david-harker-asked-dr-pauling-how-do-you-have-so-many-good-ideas-well/#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 } } ] } ```