--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People are more productive when they're…" description: "\"People are more productive when they're alone, but they're more collaborative and innovative when they're together.\" — Marissa Mayer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/marissa-mayer-6618_collaborative_people-are-more-productive-when-they-re_1249277.png" --- # People are more productive when they're alone, but they're… ![“People are more productive when they're alone, but they're more collaborative and innovative when they're together.” quote by Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/marissa-mayer-6618_collaborative_people-are-more-productive-when-they-re_1249277.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/marissa-mayer-6618_collaborative_people-are-more-productive-when-they-re_1249277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/marissa-mayer-6618_collaborative_people-are-more-productive-when-they-re_1249277.png) > “People are more productive when they're alone, but they're more collaborative and innovative when they're together.” [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solitude boosts personal productivity, while collaboration sparks creativity and innovation. **In simple terms:** Alone you work; together you create. Key Takeaway Balance solo focus with teamwork. Themes productivity collaboration creativity Mood motivational balanced Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - remote work schedules - brainstorming sessions - cross‑functional projects - creative retreats Key Concepts social facilitation flow state team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How much solo time do you need? - When should you seek team input? A Different Perspective Too much isolation can limit idea diversity; too much collaboration can dilute focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collaborative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaborative/) [Collaborative Innovative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaborative-innovative-458568/) [Innovative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovative/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Productive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-productive-1028822/) [Productive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productive/) [Productive Collaborative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productive-collaborative-3309036/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) ## Related quotes > [A leader is someone who steps back from the entire system and tries to build a more collaborative, more innovative system that will work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/a-leader-is-someone-who-steps-back-from-the-entire-system-and-tries/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [“Digital management is responsible for designing, enabling, and enforcing a collaborative, innovative, intelligent, inspiring and inclusive working environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/digital-management-is-responsible-for-designing-enabling-and/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [I think we could get people to both be more productive and happier. We're less productive as individuals. We're less productive as companies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/i-think-we-could-get-people-to-both-be-more-productive-and-happier-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [I think maybe the most important thing that I or anybody at my company and any of my colleagues can do is establish a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landgraf/i-think-maybe-the-most-important-thing-that-i-or-anybody-at-my/) [John Landgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landgraf/) > [Here's a pro-tip: there's no such thing as a 'gym person.' There are just people who go to the gym. Similarly, there's no such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/here-s-a-pro-tip-there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-gym-person-there-are-just/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“It’s far too rarely stated that the technology industry is not in the business of making people productive. It is only in the business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hurst/it-s-far-too-rarely-stated-that-the-technology-industry-is-not-in-the/) [Mark Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hurst/) > [“We have always found that people are most productive in small teams with tight budgets, time lines and the freedom to solve their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rollwagen/we-have-always-found-that-people-are-most-productive-in-small-teams/) [John Rollwagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rollwagen/) > [The American people are among the most productive in the world. We have the best technologies. We have great universities. We have entrepreneurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/the-american-people-are-among-the-most-productive-in-the-world-we/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [I have a fundamental belief in the goodness and strength of the American worker. And the American worker is the most productive, the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-have-a-fundamental-belief-in-the-goodness-and-strength-of-the/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [That's how we're going to stay innovative. We're going to continue to attract entrepreneurs who say, 'I found an idea, and I can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/that-s-how-we-re-going-to-stay-innovative-we-re-going-to-continue-to/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [I believe in taking people away from their desks and making them feel collaborative and inspire one another instead of being siloed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/i-believe-in-taking-people-away-from-their-desks-and-making-them-feel/) [Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/) > [I've been astounded to discover how good to their teams and crew that Marvel are. They're so collaborative, so smart with their stories. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-ve-been-astounded-to-discover-how-good-to-their-teams-and-crew-that/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [“Therapy requires a collaborative working relationship in which both partners act on the basis of their implicit confidence in the value and efficacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/therapy-requires-a-collaborative-working-relationship-in-which-both/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [Part of doing mash-ups is getting the legal rights to use the songs. If you're going to do a mash-up with five songs, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mason-jr/part-of-doing-mash-ups-is-getting-the-legal-rights-to-use-the-songs/) [Harvey Mason, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mason-jr/) > [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/) ## More by Marissa Mayer > [Theres no such thing as Flickr Pro because today, with cameras as pervasive as they are, theres no such thing, really, as professional photographers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/theres-no-such-thing-as-flickr-pro-because-today-with-cameras-as/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [I’ve come to realize that being a mother makes me a better executive, because motherhood forces prioritization. Being a mom gives you so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-ve-come-to-realize-that-being-a-mother-makes-me-a-better-executive/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [I had to think really hard about how to choose between job offers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-had-to-think-really-hard-about-how-to-choose-between-job-offers/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [You can't have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/you-can-t-have-everything-you-want-but-you-can-have-the-things-that/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [The baby's been way easier than everyone made it out to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/the-baby-s-been-way-easier-than-everyone-made-it-out-to-be/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [I didn't want to lose my sense of myself in my profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-didn-t-want-to-lose-my-sense-of-myself-in-my-profession/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [“Work for someone who believes in you, because when they believe in you, they'll invest in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/work-for-someone-who-believes-in-you-because-when-they-believe-in-you/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [With data collection, 'the sooner the better' is always the best answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/with-data-collection-the-sooner-the-better-is-always-the-best-answer/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [Talent is what drives technology companies,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/talent-is-what-drives-technology-companies/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [Our theory is, if you need the user to tell you what you're selling, then you don't know what you're selling, and it's probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/our-theory-is-if-you-need-the-user-to-tell-you-what-you-re-selling/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [I don't think that I would consider myself a feminist. I think that I certainly believe in equal rights, I believe that women are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-don-t-think-that-i-would-consider-myself-a-feminist-i-think-that-i/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [If you can find something that you're really passionate about, whether you're a man or a woman comes a lot less into play. Passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/if-you-can-find-something-that-you-re-really-passionate-about-whether/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [Vince Lombardi says, you know, in my life there are three things: God, family, and the Green Bay Packers, in that order. For me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/vince-lombardi-says-you-know-in-my-life-there-are-three-things-god/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [Right now is a great time to be a woman in tech, but there's not enough women in tech,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/right-now-is-a-great-time-to-be-a-woman-in-tech-but-there-s-not/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [We were very focused on becoming profitable from a very early time, which was not true of most companies in the bubble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/we-were-very-focused-on-becoming-profitable-from-a-very-early-time/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) [Explore all 98 Marissa Mayer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) ## More Collaborative quotes > [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/) > [I believe in taking people away from their desks and making them feel collaborative and inspire one another instead of being siloed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/i-believe-in-taking-people-away-from-their-desks-and-making-them-feel/) [Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/) > [“Therapy requires a collaborative working relationship in which both partners act on the basis of their implicit confidence in the value and efficacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/therapy-requires-a-collaborative-working-relationship-in-which-both/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [A leader is someone who steps back from the entire system and tries to build a more collaborative, more innovative system that will work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/a-leader-is-someone-who-steps-back-from-the-entire-system-and-tries/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [I've been astounded to discover how good to their teams and crew that Marvel are. They're so collaborative, so smart with their stories. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-ve-been-astounded-to-discover-how-good-to-their-teams-and-crew-that/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [Part of doing mash-ups is getting the legal rights to use the songs. If you're going to do a mash-up with five songs, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mason-jr/part-of-doing-mash-ups-is-getting-the-legal-rights-to-use-the-songs/) [Harvey Mason, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mason-jr/) > [You know, making a movie is a collaborative effort and sometimes all the ingredients don't work out. I know that every now and again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/you-know-making-a-movie-is-a-collaborative-effort-and-sometimes-all/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [You know, TV, by nature is a collaborative process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-brennan/you-know-tv-by-nature-is-a-collaborative-process/) [Margaret Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-brennan/) > [Filmmaking is a much more collaborative thing than literature, so you know you're going to be working with a group of people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/filmmaking-is-a-much-more-collaborative-thing-than-literature-so-you/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Music is more fun when it's collaborative, in my opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gaskarth/music-is-more-fun-when-it-s-collaborative-in-my-opinion/) [Alex Gaskarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gaskarth/) > [The whole can be greater than the sum of it's parts, that we all have something to put in the pie to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/the-whole-can-be-greater-than-the-sum-of-it-s-parts-that-we-all-have/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [“This assumption of the intrinsically repressive nature of collective experience and redemptive power of individuation is a staple of contemporary art theory and criticism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-h-kester/this-assumption-of-the-intrinsically-repressive-nature-of-collective/) [Grant H. Kester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-h-kester/) > [When I do solo stuff, when I do anything involving music, it's very collaborative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/when-i-do-solo-stuff-when-i-do-anything-involving-music-it-s-very/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [Most teams are naturally flat; they have fewer members than a large enterprise, which allows for intimacy and trust to form. This makes collaborative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-fussell/most-teams-are-naturally-flat-they-have-fewer-members-than-a-large/) [Chris Fussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-fussell/) > [Theater is exciting because it is collaborative, but it is also exhausting for the same reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-o-donnell/theater-is-exciting-because-it-is-collaborative-but-it-is-also/) [Mark O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-o-donnell/) [Browse all 169 Collaborative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaborative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People are more productive when they're alone, but they're more collaborative and innovative when they're together.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marissa Mayer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/people-are-more-productive-when-they-re-alone-but-they-re-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Collaborative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/people-are-more-productive-when-they-re-alone-but-they-re-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/marissa-mayer-6618_collaborative_people-are-more-productive-when-they-re_1249277.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/marissa-mayer-6618_collaborative_people-are-more-productive-when-they-re_1249277.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/marissa-mayer-6618_collaborative_people-are-more-productive-when-they-re_1249277.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People are more productive when they're alone, but they're more collaborative and innovative when they're…” — Marissa Mayer", "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": "Marissa Mayer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People are more productive when they're...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/people-are-more-productive-when-they-re-alone-but-they-re-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/people-are-more-productive-when-they-re-alone-but-they-re-more/#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 } } ] } ```