---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The key question companies need to…"
description: "\"The key question companies need to address is not 'Should we make mistakes?' but rather 'Which mistakes should we make in order to test our deeply held..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/paul-j-h-schoemaker-59982_addresses_the-key-question-companies-need-to-addre_181376.jpg"
---

#  The key question companies need to address is not 'Should…

![“The key question companies need to address is not 'Should we make mistakes?' but rather 'Which mistakes should we make in order to test our deeply held assumptions?'” quote by Paul J. H. Schoemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/paul-j-h-schoemaker-59982_addresses_the-key-question-companies-need-to-addre_181376.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/paul-j-h-schoemaker-59982_addresses_the-key-question-companies-need-to-addre_181376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/paul-j-h-schoemaker-59982_addresses_the-key-question-companies-need-to-addre_181376.jpg)

> “The key question companies need to address is not 'Should we make mistakes?' but rather 'Which mistakes should we make in order to test our deeply held assumptions?'”

[Paul J. H. Schoemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-h-schoemaker/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Companies should intentionally choose errors that test core beliefs, not avoid mistakes altogether.

**In simple terms:** Make purposeful mistakes to challenge assumptions.

Key Takeaway

Test assumptions through strategic errors.

Themes

innovation learning risk strategy

Mood

analytical curious

Type

strategic inspirational

When to use this quote

- product development
- strategic planning
- research
- startup pivots

Key Concepts

experimental design learning loops

Questions to Reflect On

- Which assumptions are most critical to test?
- How can you measure the value of a mistake?

A Different Perspective

Deliberate mistakes can waste resources if not carefully selected.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Addresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addresses/) [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keys/) [Make mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-mistakes/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Mistakes Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-make/) [Mistakes Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-mistakes/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Question Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-companies-1938579/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [We make mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/we-make-mistakes/)

## Related quotes

> [We all make mistakes, and it's not until we make mistakes that we learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/we-all-make-mistakes-and-it-s-not-until-we-make-mistakes-that-we-learn/)

[Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/)

> [The value of action is that we make mistakes; mistakes show us what we need to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/the-value-of-action-is-that-we-make-mistakes-mistakes-show-us-what-we/)

[Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/)

> [It's not a question of McDonald's vanishing from the face of the earth. It's a question of these companies assuming some more responsibility for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/it-s-not-a-question-of-mcdonald-s-vanishing-from-the-face-of-the/)

[Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/)

> [The question companies have to ask, or governments have to ask is, where do we allow crazy ideas to bubble up? Because if there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/the-question-companies-have-to-ask-or-governments-have-to-ask-is/)

[Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/)

> [Brilliant people do not make mistakes BUT mistakes make brilliant people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/brilliant-people-do-not-make-mistakes-but-mistakes-make-brilliant/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is not futile to do what we do. We wake up with energy and we do something. And we make, of course, failures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/it-is-not-futile-to-do-what-we-do-we-wake-up-with-energy-and-we-do/)

[John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/)

> [Look, we are human, we make mistakes. I will gladly shout from the rooftops that I am not perfect. Nor will I ever be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-agron/look-we-are-human-we-make-mistakes-i-will-gladly-shout-from-the/)

[Dianna Agron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-agron/)

> [Look, every institution will make mistakes. I acknowledge we make mistakes, and they can hurt my reputation and our company's. But you also must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/look-every-institution-will-make-mistakes-i-acknowledge-we-make/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [When we make mistakes they call it evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/when-we-make-mistakes-they-call-it-evil/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [If we make mistakes, as we all do - don't run from God, run to Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/if-we-make-mistakes-as-we-all-do-don-t-run-from-god-run-to-him/)

[T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/)

> [You should be forgiving when others make mistakes, but not when the mistakes are in you. You should be patient under duress yourself, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/you-should-be-forgiving-when-others-make-mistakes-but-not-when-the/)

[Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/)

> [I make many mistakes. Many mistakes. I'm not a perfect human being. I have to learn from my mistakes. And a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-campbell/i-make-many-mistakes-many-mistakes-i-m-not-a-perfect-human-being-i-2/)

[Naomi Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-campbell/)

> [It is not important NOT to make mistakes, but the mistakes to be small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-slim/it-is-not-important-not-to-make-mistakes-but-the-mistakes-to-be-small/)

[Carlos Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-slim/)

> [I'm not perfect, I never will be. I make mistakes, you make mistakes, but all you need to know is I'm a human, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-ramos/i-m-not-perfect-i-never-will-be-i-make-mistakes-you-make-mistakes-but/)

[Brianna Ramos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-ramos/)

> [The more successful you are, the more mistakes you will make. People who don't do anything, don't make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anthony/the-more-successful-you-are-the-more-mistakes-you-will-make-people/)

[Robert Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anthony/)

## More by Paul J. H. Schoemaker

> [Walking aft a few feet we stand at the steering gear of the ship. There is no cozy; wheel-house on the bridge for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/walking-aft-a-few-feet-we-stand-at-the-steering-gear-of-the-ship/)

[Paul J. H. Schoemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-h-schoemaker/)

> [To indicate how large a part of the Earth is covered by the oceans, we might call attention to the fact that a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/to-indicate-how-large-a-part-of-the-earth-is-covered-by-the-oceans-we/)

[Paul J. H. Schoemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-h-schoemaker/)

> [Aside from its importance to many branches of science, a knowledge of the oceans has a practical value for mankind. The intelligent development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/aside-from-its-importance-to-many-branches-of-science-a-knowledge-of/)

[Paul J. H. Schoemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-h-schoemaker/)

> [The configuration of the ocean-floor is of great interest to seismologists studying the movements of the Earth's crust. Oceanographers are also able to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/the-configuration-of-the-ocean-floor-is-of-great-interest-to/)

[Paul J. H. Schoemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-h-schoemaker/)

[Explore all 5 Paul J. H. Schoemaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-h-schoemaker/)

## More Addresses quotes

> [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/)

[Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/)

[Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/)

> [The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-pleasures-and-the-cares-of-the-luckiest-ambition-even-of/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [You will find a spring by the dwelling of the dead, to the left. Next to it stands a white cypress. Do not approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/you-will-find-a-spring-by-the-dwelling-of-the-dead-to-the-left-next/)

[Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/)

> [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/)

[L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/)

> [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. We will NEVER sell, rent, loan, or abuse your email address in ANY way. Writing has been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/each-email-contains-an-unsubscribe-link-we-will-never-sell-rent-loan/)

[Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/)

> [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/senator-obama-will-be-taking-office-at-a-critical-juncture-there-are/)

[Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/)

[Browse all 1,100 Addresses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addresses/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The key question companies need to address is not 'Should we make mistakes?' but rather 'Which mistakes should we make in order to test our deeply held assumptions?'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul J. H. Schoemaker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/the-key-question-companies-need-to-address-is-not-should-we-make/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Addresses"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/the-key-question-companies-need-to-address-is-not-should-we-make/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/paul-j-h-schoemaker-59982_addresses_the-key-question-companies-need-to-addre_181376.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/paul-j-h-schoemaker-59982_addresses_the-key-question-companies-need-to-addre_181376.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/paul-j-h-schoemaker-59982_addresses_the-key-question-companies-need-to-addre_181376.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The key question companies need to address is not 'Should we make mistakes?' but rather 'Which mistakes…” — Paul J. H. Schoemaker",
                "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 J. H. Schoemaker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-h-schoemaker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The key question companies need to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/the-key-question-companies-need-to-address-is-not-should-we-make/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-h-schoemaker/the-key-question-companies-need-to-address-is-not-should-we-make/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
