--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creativity is bound up in our ability to…" description: "\"Creativity is bound up in our ability to find new ways around old problems.\" — Martin Seligman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/martin-seligman-5268_ability_creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to_985626.png" --- # Creativity is bound up in our ability to find new ways… ![“Creativity is bound up in our ability to find new ways around old problems.” quote by Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/martin-seligman-5268_ability_creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to_985626.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/martin-seligman-5268_ability_creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to_985626.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/martin-seligman-5268_ability_creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to_985626.png) > “Creativity is bound up in our ability to find new ways around old problems.” [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity involves devising novel solutions to existing problems. **In simple terms:** Creativity = new ways around old problems. Key Takeaway Embrace innovative problem‑solving. Themes creativity problem solving innovation psychology growth Mood optimistic inspired Type motivational practical When to use this quote - workplace challenges - personal projects - education - entrepreneurship Key Concepts cognitive flexibility design thinking resourcefulness Questions to Reflect On - When is a small tweak better than a radical change? - How can you foster creative thinking daily? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of incremental improvements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Ability New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-new-1984927/) [Around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around/) [Bound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bound/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Creativity Bound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity-bound-1984926/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-ways/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Old Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-problems-956456/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways/) ## Related quotes > [Creativity is the ability to find new solutions to a problem or new modes of expression; thus it brings into existence something new to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-edwards/creativity-is-the-ability-to-find-new-solutions-to-a-problem-or-new/) [Betty Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-edwards/) > [We're constantly dealing with old problems under the circumstance of new variables, so just things like greed and fear and anger and inequality are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/we-re-constantly-dealing-with-old-problems-under-the-circumstance-of/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [“All animals solve the same age-old problems relating to food, partnerships, sex, shelter, home, and caring for their young.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernd-heinrich/all-animals-solve-the-same-age-old-problems-relating-to-food/) [Bernd Heinrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernd-heinrich/) > [The Chechnya problem is a centuries-old problem. 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No matter how many times you revisit the past, there's nothing new to see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/let-old-problems-remain-where-they-belong-in-the-past-no-matter-how/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Most people are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-are-more-comfortable-with-old-problems-than-with-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Since FDR's New Deal, corporations and wealthy families have been non-stop finding new ways to get tax breaks, deregulation and entitlements from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/since-fdr-s-new-deal-corporations-and-wealthy-families-have-been-non/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) ## More by Martin Seligman > [It used to be that whenever I introduced myself to people and told them I was a psychologist, they would shrink away from me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-used-to-be-that-whenever-i-introduced-myself-to-people-and-told/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I have never worked on interrogation; I have never seen an interrogation, and I have only a passing knowledge of the literature on interrogation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-have-never-worked-on-interrogation-i-have-never-seen-an/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I'm trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. 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They want justice; they want meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/what-humans-want-is-not-just-happiness-they-want-justice-they-want/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I have spent most of my life working with mental illness. I have been president of the world's largest association of mental-illness workers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-working-with-mental-illness-i-have-been/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [Finding permanent and universal causes for misfortune is the practice of despair...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/finding-permanent-and-universal-causes-for-misfortune-is-the-practice/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [We deprive our children, our charges, of persistence. 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Reliving childhood traumas gives you a nice afterglow, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/if-the-point-of-the-inner-child-movement-is-to-cure-adult-problems-it/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I don't mind being wrong, and I don't mind changing my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-don-t-mind-being-wrong-and-i-don-t-mind-changing-my-mind/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) [Explore all 102 Martin Seligman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Creativity is bound up in our ability to find new ways around old problems.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Seligman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to-find-new-ways-around-old/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to-find-new-ways-around-old/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/martin-seligman-5268_ability_creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to_985626.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/martin-seligman-5268_ability_creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to_985626.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/martin-seligman-5268_ability_creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to_985626.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Creativity is bound up in our ability to find new ways around old problems.” — Martin Seligman", "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": "Martin Seligman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Creativity is bound up in our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to-find-new-ways-around-old/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/creativity-is-bound-up-in-our-ability-to-find-new-ways-around-old/#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 } } ] } ```