--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The right idea at the right time is like…" description: "\"“The right idea at the right time is like a dandelion...You may hack it down, but you only spread the seeds abroad.”\" — Mike Carey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61c/mike-carey-8578_comic_the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like_1245128.png" --- # The right idea at the right time is like a dandelion...You… ![“The right idea at the right time is like a dandelion...You may hack it down, but you only spread the seeds abroad.” quote by Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61c/mike-carey-8578_comic_the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like_1245128.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61c/mike-carey-8578_comic_the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like_1245128.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61c/mike-carey-8578_comic_the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like_1245128.png) > ““The right idea at the right time is like a dandelion...You may hack it down, but you only spread the seeds abroad.”” [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Timing and ideas spread like dandelion seeds, resilient despite being cut down. **In simple terms:** Ideas persist and spread even when suppressed. Key Takeaway Cultivate and share ideas despite setbacks. Themes creativity resilience timing Mood hopeful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - project launch - academic publishing - social media Key Concepts seed metaphor growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect your ideas? - What seeds are you planting now? A Different Perspective Ideas can be lost without nurturing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) [Dandelion Hack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dandelion-hack-3901584/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Idea Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-right-342223/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Like Dandelion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-dandelion-2766695/) [Right Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-idea-341590/) [Right time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-time/) [Seeds Abroad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeds-abroad-3901583/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tommy-taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tommy-taylor-192555/) ## Related quotes > [“You're a vampire, Richie. And I've got a gun the size of Nebraska. What's the worst that could happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/you-re-a-vampire-richie-and-i-ve-got-a-gun-the-size-of-nebraska-what/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [If I'm hesitant at all about an idea, then that's not the right idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/if-i-m-hesitant-at-all-about-an-idea-then-that-s-not-the-right-idea/) [M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/) > [It's the right idea, but not the right time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dalton/it-s-the-right-idea-but-not-the-right-time/) [John Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dalton/) > [“So. Our little pearl of warmth, our spinning orrery of lives, our island, our beloved solar system, our hearth and home, tight and burnished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/so-our-little-pearl-of-warmth-our-spinning-orrery-of-lives-our-island/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“We had often read the same books at night in the same bed, and later realized that they had touched us in different places:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-had-often-read-the-same-books-at-night-in-the-same-bed-and-later/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Some nights, I wake up knowing he is anxious. He is across the world in another woman's arms and the years have spread us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/some-nights-i-wake-up-knowing-he-is-anxious-he-is-across-the-world-in/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Scandals are like dandelion seeds--they are arrow-headed, and stick where they fall, and bring forth and multiply fourfold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/scandals-are-like-dandelion-seeds-they-are-arrow-headed-and-stick/) [Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/) > [“In a world full of roses, stand out like a dandelion in the middle of a green, plush lawn!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-stoyer/in-a-world-full-of-roses-stand-out-like-a-dandelion-in-the-middle-of/) [June Stoyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-stoyer/) > [No creature is fully itself till it is, like the dandelion, opened in the bloom of pure relationship to the sun, the entire living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/no-creature-is-fully-itself-till-it-is-like-the-dandelion-opened-in/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [I always knew who I was, but everyone else wanted to me to be their 'idea' of the 'right' artist. At times, I even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-always-knew-who-i-was-but-everyone-else-wanted-to-me-to-be-their/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [Whether it's coming from FDR or it's coming from Ronald Reagan, if the idea is right for the times then we're gonna apply it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/whether-it-s-coming-from-fdr-or-it-s-coming-from-ronald-reagan-if-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Sometimes I have the idea right away, like, "Oh, this is what this song's about. This is how I'm feeling."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avey-tare/sometimes-i-have-the-idea-right-away-like-oh-this-is-what-this-song-s/) [Avey Tare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avey-tare/) > [A single idea, if it is right, saves us the labor of an infinity of experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-maritain/a-single-idea-if-it-is-right-saves-us-the-labor-of-an-infinity-of/) [Jacques Maritain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-maritain/) > [Solitude is only a good idea if you have the right people along to share it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/solitude-is-only-a-good-idea-if-you-have-the-right-people-along-to/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [You have to take away the idea that something you do is right or wrong. I don't think there's a right or a wrong;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/you-have-to-take-away-the-idea-that-something-you-do-is-right-or/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) ## More by Mike Carey > [“That's what I've never been able to get about religion: that charmless combination of altruism and insanity. Give me a cynical, self-interested bastard any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/that-s-what-i-ve-never-been-able-to-get-about-religion-that-charmless/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“No, there are no special places in hell. Hell is a democracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/no-there-are-no-special-places-in-hell-hell-is-a-democracy/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“And send not to ask for whom the fucking bell tolls, because you're not going to like the answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/and-send-not-to-ask-for-whom-the-fucking-bell-tolls-because-you-re/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“The light of a hunter's moon bleached the unresisting pastels from the faces of the towers, so that they looked like titanic ribs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/the-light-of-a-hunter-s-moon-bleached-the-unresisting-pastels-from/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“You're a vampire, Richie. And I've got a gun the size of Nebraska. What's the worst that could happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/you-re-a-vampire-richie-and-i-ve-got-a-gun-the-size-of-nebraska-what/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“Happy Families. What's that all about, eh? A bloody busted flush is what it is. You surround yourself with other people so the night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/happy-families-what-s-that-all-about-eh-a-bloody-busted-flush-is-what/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“ Yahweh: You've been unhappy because you've desired things that cannot be. Lucifer: That's what desire IS. The need for what we can't have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/yahweh-you-ve-been-unhappy-because-you-ve-desired-things-that-cannot/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“My mum’s getting married,” said Cheryl. “Again. At the Brompton Oratory. Fourth time around the track, this is. They don’t say ‘Till death us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/my-mum-s-getting-married-said-cheryl-again-at-the-brompton-oratory/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“And there's a darker side to Peckham, too, once you get in deep: a side I like a lot more, because I identify with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/and-there-s-a-darker-side-to-peckham-too-once-you-get-in-deep-a-side/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [I think Louisville will be fired up for this game. They might be in revenge mode. But, this time of the year records, don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/i-think-louisville-will-be-fired-up-for-this-game-they-might-be-in/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [I took a strong dislike to him right then to save time and effort later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/i-took-a-strong-dislike-to-him-right-then-to-save-time-and-effort/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“Control what people believe, and you control what they do. Who they are. The world is only the aggregate of human perception. Stories are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/control-what-people-believe-and-you-control-what-they-do-who-they-are/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [When a book is read an irrevocable thing happens — a murder, followed by an imposture. The story in the mind murders the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/when-a-book-is-read-an-irrevocable-thing-happens-a-murder-followed-by/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [“When you're a mile outside the limits of your competence, there is some comfort to be had in sounding like you know what you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/when-you-re-a-mile-outside-the-limits-of-your-competence-there-is/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [The world is a book. Some words stand out from the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/the-world-is-a-book-some-words-stand-out-from-the-page/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) [Explore all 58 Mike Carey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) ## More Comic quotes > [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [I always loved as a kid reading 'Spider-Man,' and the 'Fantastic Four' would show up... it was all about that larger universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-reed/i-always-loved-as-a-kid-reading-spider-man-and-the-fantastic-four/) [Peyton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-reed/) > [One of the key characteristics of the comic book medium is that it is not brought to life by just one voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/one-of-the-key-characteristics-of-the-comic-book-medium-is-that-it-is/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [I identify with Superman. I am adopted, I am an only child, and I love the idea that he comes from another world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-singer/i-identify-with-superman-i-am-adopted-i-am-an-only-child-and-i-love/) [Bryan Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-singer/) > [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/) [Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/) > [If you look at Marvel Comics, there are very few Marvel characters I would like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-ennis/if-you-look-at-marvel-comics-there-are-very-few-marvel-characters-i/) [Garth Ennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-ennis/) > [The big problem for comic art is you don't want to overwork it. If a drawing is overworked it isn't funny. It's the spontaneity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sorel/the-big-problem-for-comic-art-is-you-don-t-want-to-overwork-it-if-a/) [Edward Sorel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sorel/) > [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [Batman doesn't have any superpowers. He's not superhuman. He's not super. So therefore he can't be a superhero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-silvey/batman-doesn-t-have-any-superpowers-he-s-not-superhuman-he-s-not/) [Craig Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-silvey/) > [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [I was really into the first 'Spider-Man' films with Tobey Maguire, so it's pretty cool how it all came full circle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-batalon/i-was-really-into-the-first-spider-man-films-with-tobey-maguire-so-it/) [Jacob Batalon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-batalon/) > [Most men are secretly still mad at their mothers for throwing away their comic books. They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [I'll only diet for a Marvel movie. I will give up bacon and waffles to be Storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-james/i-ll-only-diet-for-a-marvel-movie-i-will-give-up-bacon-and-waffles-to/) [Janelle James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-james/) > [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/) [Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/) [Browse all 5,841 Comic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The right idea at the right time is like a dandelion...You may hack it down, but you only spread the seeds abroad.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Carey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like-a-dandelion-you-may-hack-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like-a-dandelion-you-may-hack-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61c/mike-carey-8578_comic_the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like_1245128.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61c/mike-carey-8578_comic_the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like_1245128.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61c/mike-carey-8578_comic_the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like_1245128.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The right idea at the right time is like a dandelion...You may hack it down, but you only spread the seeds…” — Mike Carey", "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": "Mike Carey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The right idea at the right...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like-a-dandelion-you-may-hack-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/the-right-idea-at-the-right-time-is-like-a-dandelion-you-may-hack-it/#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 } } ] } ```