--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If everyone thinks you have a good idea…" description: "\"If everyone thinks you have a good idea, you´re too late\" — Paul Hawken" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-hawken-3831_good-idea_if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea_2942797.png" --- # If everyone thinks you have a good idea, you´re too late ![“If everyone thinks you have a good idea, you´re too late” quote by Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-hawken-3831_good-idea_if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea_2942797.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-hawken-3831_good-idea_if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea_2942797.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-hawken-3831_good-idea_if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea_2942797.png) > “If everyone thinks you have a good idea, you´re too late” [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas lose edge when everyone agrees; novelty thrives on dissent. **In simple terms:** Good ideas need critique. Key Takeaway Seek diverse feedback early. Themes innovation critique timing Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - product development - team brainstorming - creative writing Key Concepts conformity groupthink originality Questions to Reflect On - How can you encourage dissent? - What signs show an idea is becoming stale? A Different Perspective If everyone agrees, you may be missing hidden flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-idea/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Idea Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-late-4395650/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks/) [Thinks Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-good-817149/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes you're the only one who thinks you have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/sometimes-you-re-the-only-one-who-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [The truth is, we have this idea that late night is about creativity and being cool, but that's not our job. Our job is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/the-truth-is-we-have-this-idea-that-late-night-is-about-creativity/) [Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/) > [“When a person thinks you are too good for them, they create a wall without even taking a chance. The best life that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/when-a-person-thinks-you-are-too-good-for-them-they-create-a-wall/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Progress is often just a good idea away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/progress-is-often-just-a-good-idea-away/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [ \[The disestablishment of religion\] may not have been such a good idea. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/the-disestablishment-of-religion-may-not-have-been-such-a-good-idea/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [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/) > [I've long ago learned that if an idea will stand on its own, it'll stand having the light shone on it. But if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fogerty/i-ve-long-ago-learned-that-if-an-idea-will-stand-on-its-own-it-ll/) [John Fogerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fogerty/) > [It is never a good idea to not be comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garance-dore/it-is-never-a-good-idea-to-not-be-comfortable/) [Garance Dore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garance-dore/) > [I came to New York in 1986. My father didn't think it was a good idea. I didn't know how I found it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-costa/i-came-to-new-york-in-1986-my-father-didn-t-think-it-was-a-good-idea/) [Francisco Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-costa/) > [I have one very basic rule when it comes to "good ideas". A good idea is not an idea that solves a problem cleanly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-have-one-very-basic-rule-when-it-comes-to-good-ideas-a-good-idea-is/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [The Constitution: it's not just a good idea, it's the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-badnarik/the-constitution-it-s-not-just-a-good-idea-it-s-the-law/) [Michael Badnarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-badnarik/) > [Good ideas come from everywhere. It's more important to recognize a good idea than to author it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-gang/good-ideas-come-from-everywhere-it-s-more-important-to-recognize-a/) [Jeanne Gang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-gang/) > [So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/so-when-a-good-idea-comes-you-know-part-of-my-job-is-to-move-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It is a good idea for everyone who does not have contra-indications to receive a flu shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-johnson/it-is-a-good-idea-for-everyone-who-does-not-have-contra-indications/) [Amy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-johnson/) > [Everything in New Orleans is a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/everything-in-new-orleans-is-a-good-idea/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) ## More by Paul Hawken > [Information from destructive activities going back a hundred years right up until today is being incorporated into the system. And as that happens the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/information-from-destructive-activities-going-back-a-hundred-years/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [When the planes still swoop down and aerial spray a field in order to kill a predator insect with pesticides, we are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/when-the-planes-still-swoop-down-and-aerial-spray-a-field-in-order-to/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [The great thing about the dilemma we're in is that we get to re-imagine every single thing we do...There isn't a single thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/the-great-thing-about-the-dilemma-we-re-in-is-that-we-get-to-re/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Luck is earned. Luck is working so hard at your craft, service or enterprise that sooner or later you get a break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/luck-is-earned-luck-is-working-so-hard-at-your-craft-service-or/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Healing the wounds of the earth and its people does not require saintliness or a political party, only gumption and persistence. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/healing-the-wounds-of-the-earth-and-its-people-does-not-require/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [When cattle ranchers clear rain forests to raise beef to sell to fast-food chains that make hamburgers to sell to Americans, who have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/when-cattle-ranchers-clear-rain-forests-to-raise-beef-to-sell-to-fast/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We are the only species on this planet without full employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We subsidize the disposal of waste in all its myriad forms — from landfills, to Superfund cleanups, to deep-well injection, to storage of nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-subsidize-the-disposal-of-waste-in-all-its-myriad-forms-from/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity's willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/inspiration-is-not-garnered-from-the-litanies-of-what-may-befall-us/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [If you look at the science that describes what is happening on earth today and aren't pessimistic, you don’t have the correct data. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-you-look-at-the-science-that-describes-what-is-happening-on-earth/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [All is connected ... no one thing can change by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/all-is-connected-no-one-thing-can-change-by-itself/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We can no longer prosper by increasing human productivity. The more we try to do, the more poverty we will create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-can-no-longer-prosper-by-increasing-human-productivity-the-more-we/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Throughout the industrial era, economists considered manufactured capital - money, factories, etc. - the principal factor in industrial production, and perceived natural capital as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/throughout-the-industrial-era-economists-considered-manufactured/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [his planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/his-planet-came-with-a-set-of-instructions-but-we-seem-to-have/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Sustainability, ensuring the future of life on Earth, is an infinite game, the endless expression of generosity on behalf of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/sustainability-ensuring-the-future-of-life-on-earth-is-an-infinite/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) [Explore all 121 Paul Hawken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## More Good idea quotes > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Everybody has a good idea, but nothing goes as planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/everybody-has-a-good-idea-but-nothing-goes-as-planned/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [Domino effect: Once you drop a good idea, the rest will follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loesje/domino-effect-once-you-drop-a-good-idea-the-rest-will-follow/) [Loesje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loesje/) > [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) > [Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/ours-is-the-only-country-deliberately-founded-on-a-good-idea/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [Everything in New Orleans is a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/everything-in-new-orleans-is-a-good-idea/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [What I’ve learned is that if you really want to be successful at something, you’ll find that you put the time in. You won’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/what-i-ve-learned-is-that-if-you-really-want-to-be-successful-at/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“Why is it a good idea for you and not a good idea for me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/why-is-it-a-good-idea-for-you-and-not-a-good-idea-for-me/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [We like to test things... no matter how good an idea sounds, test it first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-w-bloch/we-like-to-test-things-no-matter-how-good-an-idea-sounds-test-it-first/) [Henry W. Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-w-bloch/) > [It is a good idea for everyone who does not have contra-indications to receive a flu shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-johnson/it-is-a-good-idea-for-everyone-who-does-not-have-contra-indications/) [Amy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-johnson/) > [Gadgets - our houses are filled with them: ones we need, ones we think we need, and others that were a good idea at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheherazade-goldsmith/gadgets-our-houses-are-filled-with-them-ones-we-need-ones-we-think-we/) [Sheherazade Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheherazade-goldsmith/) > [It has never been a good idea to try to disarm Texans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/it-has-never-been-a-good-idea-to-try-to-disarm-texans/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) > [It's just not a good idea to drink and drive; that is just common sense. But common sense is not that common!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-zima/it-s-just-not-a-good-idea-to-drink-and-drive-that-is-just-common/) [Madeline Zima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-zima/) > [There is no authority who decides what is a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-authority-who-decides-what-is-a-good-idea/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/so-when-a-good-idea-comes-you-know-part-of-my-job-is-to-move-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) [Browse all 332 Good idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If everyone thinks you have a good idea, you´re too late", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Hawken" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea-you-re-too-late/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good idea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea-you-re-too-late/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-hawken-3831_good-idea_if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea_2942797.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-hawken-3831_good-idea_if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea_2942797.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-hawken-3831_good-idea_if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea_2942797.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If everyone thinks you have a good idea, you´re too late” — Paul Hawken", "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": "Paul Hawken", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If everyone thinks you have a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea-you-re-too-late/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-everyone-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea-you-re-too-late/#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 } } ] } ```