--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People don’t invent things on the…" description: "\"“People don’t invent things on the Internet. They simply expand on an idea that already exists.”\" — Nick Bilton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/nick-bilton-17564_internet_people-don-t-invent-things-on-the-intern_1005198.jpg" --- # People don’t invent things on the Internet. They simply… ![“People don’t invent things on the Internet. They simply expand on an idea that already exists.” quote by Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/nick-bilton-17564_internet_people-don-t-invent-things-on-the-intern_1005198.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/nick-bilton-17564_internet_people-don-t-invent-things-on-the-intern_1005198.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/nick-bilton-17564_internet_people-don-t-invent-things-on-the-intern_1005198.jpg) > ““People don’t invent things on the Internet. They simply expand on an idea that already exists.”” [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas evolve by building on existing concepts rather than creating from scratch. **In simple terms:** Ideas grow from what already exists. Key Takeaway Build on existing ideas. Themes creativity innovation collaboration Mood reflective analytical Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - product development - research - entrepreneurship - content creation Key Concepts cumulative knowledge network effects Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify the core of an existing idea? - What limits prevent true originality? A Different Perspective Original breakthroughs still require novel synthesis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ## Related quotes > [Net neutrality is at the core of what we love about the Internet. Put simply, it allows any individual or business equal access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/net-neutrality-is-at-the-core-of-what-we-love-about-the-internet-put/) [Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/) > [You can invent things like automatic popcorn poppers. You can invent things like steam-powered window washers. But you can’t invent more time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-invent-things-like-automatic-popcorn-poppers-you-can-invent/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She would say, "Someone should invent something to do with things you cannot use anymore but that you still cannot throw out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/she-would-say-someone-should-invent-something-to-do-with-things-you/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [We had learned how to invent things, and the question of why we invent things receded in importance. The idea that if something could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-had-learned-how-to-invent-things-and-the-question-of-why-we-invent/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [That was the very centre of his genius - he invented things that anyone could have thought of, and men who can invent things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/that-was-the-very-centre-of-his-genius-he-invented-things-that-anyone/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [There are a lot of rich people in the world. There are very few people who have the privilege of getting to invent things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-karp/there-are-a-lot-of-rich-people-in-the-world-there-are-very-few-people/) [David Karp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-karp/) > [“But you can't invent things like time,' Violet said. 'You can invent things like automatic popcorn poppers. You can invent things like steam-powered window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/but-you-can-t-invent-things-like-time-violet-said-you-can-invent/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [I try not to invent things that people don't need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-try-not-to-invent-things-that-people-don-t-need/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Not being given everything encourages you to create... That was one of the first steps for me learning to invent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-makosinski/not-being-given-everything-encourages-you-to-create-that-was-one-of/) [Ann Makosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-makosinski/) > [I like to experiment a lot and invent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-ireland/i-like-to-experiment-a-lot-and-invent-things/) [Kathy Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-ireland/) > [I use my mind to solve problems and invent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/i-use-my-mind-to-solve-problems-and-invent-things/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [You need to invent things and you need to get them to people. You need to commercialize those inventions. Obviously, the best way we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/you-need-to-invent-things-and-you-need-to-get-them-to-people-you-need/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [“Alfred North Whitehead summed it up best when he remarked that the greatest invention of the nineteenth century was the idea of invention itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/alfred-north-whitehead-summed-it-up-best-when-he-remarked-that-the/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [If journalism is the first draft of history, then the Internet simply has provided a new means for delivering that draft far and wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-daschle/if-journalism-is-the-first-draft-of-history-then-the-internet-simply/) [Tom Daschle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-daschle/) > […maybe the whole Internet will simply become like Facebook: falsely jolly, fake-friendly, self-promoting, slickly disingenuous….” - Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/maybe-the-whole-internet-will-simply-become-like-facebook-falsely/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) ## More by Nick Bilton > [“A similar sound, especially light, tremulous speech or laughter.” This is it, he thought. “Agitation or excitement; flutter.” A verb. Twitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/a-similar-sound-especially-light-tremulous-speech-or-laughter-this-is/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“The press pass and the a title of “journalist” had been replaced by a smart phone and a Twitter account.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/the-press-pass-and-the-a-title-of-journalist-had-been-replaced-by-a/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [Some people are destined for greatness; others fall up a hill to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/some-people-are-destined-for-greatness-others-fall-up-a-hill-to-get/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“It could be a technology that would erase a feeling that an entire generation felt while staring into their computer screens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/it-could-be-a-technology-that-would-erase-a-feeling-that-an-entire/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“Even though all these people were dealing in illicit activities, they each had a moral sense that their particular outlawed product was more just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/even-though-all-these-people-were-dealing-in-illicit-activities-they/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“The app saved three minutes of my time. But in the process, it cut a neighborhood business out of the economic equation. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/the-app-saved-three-minutes-of-my-time-but-in-the-process-it-cut-a/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“July had already been a busy month as Twitter had also moved into new offices: a fancy, modern, loftlike space with lots of windows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/july-had-already-been-a-busy-month-as-twitter-had-also-moved-into-new/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“When Taylor had called Mark to explain the situation, Facebook's CEO had given clear instructions to shut Twitter down the second it tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/when-taylor-had-called-mark-to-explain-the-situation-facebook-s-ceo/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“When people ask Biz about his wealth, he tells them that money rarely changes people; it often just magnifies who they really are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/when-people-ask-biz-about-his-wealth-he-tells-them-that-money-rarely/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [It was a testament to the resilience of humanity. Give a man a tree and he will make it into a boat; give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/it-was-a-testament-to-the-resilience-of-humanity-give-a-man-a-tree/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“They looked at the world around them and saw that the government was a ball of wasteful red tape; that the taxi industry treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/they-looked-at-the-world-around-them-and-saw-that-the-government-was/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [Then, as she turned to walk away, Fred dropped the guillotine."So we're making Ev CEO," he said, his fork clenched in his hand. "You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/then-as-she-turned-to-walk-away-fred-dropped-the-guillotine-so-we-re/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“how to inject heroin into your eyeballs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/how-to-inject-heroin-into-your-eyeballs/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“Fred wasn't convinced, telling Charlie that such a service would never work and that other companies that had tried to make Twitter-like products had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/fred-wasn-t-convinced-telling-charlie-that-such-a-service-would-never/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) > [“All forms of technology, with the exception of paper, are strictly forbidden inside any high-level Top Secret Sensitive Compartmentalized Information, or TS/SCI area,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/all-forms-of-technology-with-the-exception-of-paper-are-strictly/) [Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) [Explore all 37 Nick Bilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/) ## More Internet quotes > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [I enjoy upsetting the right people. I love poking fun at earnest censors. I want to push the bounds of what can be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-enjoy-upsetting-the-right-people-i-love-poking-fun-at-earnest/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Though 'Fat City' was written long before cellphones or the Internet, its human apparatus is state of the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/though-fat-city-was-written-long-before-cellphones-or-the-internet/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Note to self: If you do not know how to spell a big scary spiders name, DO NOT look it up on the internet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-eisele/note-to-self-if-you-do-not-know-how-to-spell-a-big-scary-spiders-name/) Becky Eisele > [I remembered reading about a disease called Leishmaniasis, which matched my symptoms. I'd always thought it was an old wives' tale - a sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fogle/i-remembered-reading-about-a-disease-called-leishmaniasis-which/) [Ben Fogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fogle/) > [The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-internet-lets-thousands-of-total-strangers-collaborate-to-produce/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I don't have faith in the Internet, I have faith in people connected through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gilliam/i-don-t-have-faith-in-the-internet-i-have-faith-in-people-connected/) Jim Gilliam > [The internet is very democratizing in some ways, but it also has other effects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/the-internet-is-very-democratizing-in-some-ways-but-it-also-has-other/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [“Some innovations just don’t attract enough economic or social demand: just as supersonic flight and manned space flight stagnated after the 1970s, today (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-j-rees/some-innovations-just-don-t-attract-enough-economic-or-social-demand/) Martin J. Rees > [Moveon is not a one-way broadcast media. The Internet, when used best, is a two-way media. We have a forum in which people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-blades/moveon-is-not-a-one-way-broadcast-media-the-internet-when-used-best/) [Joan Blades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-blades/) [Browse all 9,049 Internet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People don’t invent things on the Internet. 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