--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have a 10-year plan of how to get…" description: "\"“If you have a 10-year plan of how to get [somewhere], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?”\" — Peter Thiel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/peter-thiel-1311_plan_if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get_1017626.png" --- # If you have a 10-year plan of how to get \[somewhere\], you… ![“If you have a 10-year plan of how to get [somewhere], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?” quote by Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/peter-thiel-1311_plan_if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get_1017626.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/peter-thiel-1311_plan_if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get_1017626.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/peter-thiel-1311_plan_if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get_1017626.png) > ““If you have a 10-year plan of how to get \[somewhere\], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?”” [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Long‑term plans can be compressed; questioning timelines reveals hidden constraints and accelerates progress. **In simple terms:** Question long plans to speed up. Key Takeaway Challenge assumptions, seek faster paths. Themes innovation strategy efficiency Mood critical motivational Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - startup planning - project management - career advancement Key Concepts disruption goal‑setting Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions limit your speed? - How can you test a faster approach safely? A Different Perspective Aggressive timelines may increase risk of burnout or quality loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [When I finished law school, I had a 10-year plan. My plan was to go to a law firm, fall madly in love, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/when-i-finished-law-school-i-had-a-10-year-plan-my-plan-was-to-go-to/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [I've never been the girl that's had the five-year plan, the 10-year plan and I'm still not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/i-ve-never-been-the-girl-that-s-had-the-five-year-plan-the-10-year/) [Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/) > [Maybe I'd be in a different place in my career if I'd had that 10-year plan, a lot of people went at it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/maybe-i-d-be-in-a-different-place-in-my-career-if-i-d-had-that-10/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [“Another said , "I don't ask six months, I don't ask two. In less than two weeks we'll meet the government face to face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/another-said-i-don-t-ask-six-months-i-don-t-ask-two-in-less-than-two/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“- Excellent, excellent, your plan is working. - - What plan? - I ask. - The plan to make her wonder if you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahbod-seraji/excellent-excellent-your-plan-is-working-what-plan-i-ask-the-plan-to/) [Mahbod Seraji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahbod-seraji/) > [“That's not how I'd planned it to be." "How did you plan it to be?" I ask, not to be snarky but because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/that-s-not-how-i-d-planned-it-to-be-how-did-you-plan-it-to-be-i-ask/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Did you have any plan to ask my opinion about this or am I just supposed to accept your unilateral decision?” Word to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-harper/did-you-have-any-plan-to-ask-my-opinion-about-this-or-am-i-just/) [Juliette Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-harper/) > [If I have any attribute that serves me well, it's I don't have a long-range plan in life. I have no idea. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wilbon/if-i-have-any-attribute-that-serves-me-well-it-s-i-don-t-have-a-long/) [Michael Wilbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wilbon/) > [He has a 5 year plan... What is it, don't die?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/he-has-a-5-year-plan-what-is-it-don-t-die/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [It would make me laugh, make me smile, if some manager came in and said he had a five-year plan for a football club.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-neill/it-would-make-me-laugh-make-me-smile-if-some-manager-came-in-and-said/) [Martin O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-neill/) > [I like short-term goals. I'm never thinking about a five-year or a ten-year plan; I'm always thinking, 'What am I doing in the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trina/i-like-short-term-goals-i-m-never-thinking-about-a-five-year-or-a-ten/) [Trina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trina/) > [It's fascinating for us women to begin looking at our lives in five-year plans. It really does help you keep on track. If that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/it-s-fascinating-for-us-women-to-begin-looking-at-our-lives-in-five/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [I wanted to be in this business, and once I got into the business I knew I enjoyed it, and I liked it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/i-wanted-to-be-in-this-business-and-once-i-got-into-the-business-i/) [Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/) > [“You should have a fifty-year plan—a vision for growth over a long period of time as you embrace your weakness.” Learning to walk the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamin-goggin/you-should-have-a-fifty-year-plan-a-vision-for-growth-over-a-long/) Jamin Goggin > [I think three-to-five years ahead minimum. I have a short-term plan, a five-year plan and a decade plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-garvey/i-think-three-to-five-years-ahead-minimum-i-have-a-short-term-plan-a/) [Steve Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-garvey/) ## More by Peter Thiel > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [If you think about basic science or coming up with new theories of mathematics, these are not the kinds of things which are necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-think-about-basic-science-or-coming-up-with-new-theories-of/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [I think we have a bubble in the US in government bonds, because of the quantitative easing and the negative real interest rates, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/i-think-we-have-a-bubble-in-the-us-in-government-bonds-because-of-the/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Time and decision-making themselves follow a power law, and some moments matter far more than others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/time-and-decision-making-themselves-follow-a-power-law-and-some/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Today, we exaggerate the differences between left-liberal egalitarianism and libertarian individualism because almost everyone shares their common indefinite attitude. In philosophy, politics, and business,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/today-we-exaggerate-the-differences-between-left-liberal/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [When you already have $150 billion a year in revenues from the iPhone, it's very hard to come up with any new vertical that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/when-you-already-have-150-billion-a-year-in-revenues-from-the-iphone/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“CREATIVE MONOPOLY means new products that benefit everybody and sustainable profits for the creator. Competition means no profits for anybody, no meaningful differentiation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/creative-monopoly-means-new-products-that-benefit-everybody-and/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“we have given up our sense of wonder at secrets left to be discovered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/we-have-given-up-our-sense-of-wonder-at-secrets-left-to-be-discovered/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Today our society is permeated by the twin ideas that death is both inevitable and random.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/today-our-society-is-permeated-by-the-twin-ideas-that-death-is-both/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“if your company can be summed up by its opposition to already existing firms, it can’t be completely new and it’s probably not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-your-company-can-be-summed-up-by-its-opposition-to-already/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Is a lukewarm attitude to one’s work a sign of mental health? Is a merely professional attitude the only sane approach?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/is-a-lukewarm-attitude-to-one-s-work-a-sign-of-mental-health-is-a/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“If you’ve invented something new but you haven’t invented an effective way to sell it, you have a bad business—no matter how good the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-ve-invented-something-new-but-you-haven-t-invented-an/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [The business model piece is we're always talking about competing more effectively. If you're starting a company or career you don't want to compete.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/the-business-model-piece-is-we-re-always-talking-about-competing-more/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [If you invest in Microsoft or Oracle, or a number of other companies for that matter, you're fundamentally making a bet that there's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-invest-in-microsoft-or-oracle-or-a-number-of-other-companies/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [Our economy is broken. I'm not a politician, but neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it's time to rebuild America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/our-economy-is-broken-i-m-not-a-politician-but-neither-is-donald/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) [Explore all 257 Peter Thiel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) ## More Plan quotes > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [Sometimes your plan doesn't work.out because God has better ones..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-your-plan-doesn-t-work-out-because-god-has-better-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we shipped 'Borderlands 2,' we didn't ship it with a plan of how the level cap was going to increase. We didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pitchford/when-we-shipped-borderlands-2-we-didn-t-ship-it-with-a-plan-of-how/) [Randy Pitchford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pitchford/) > [it's never been a plan to have this or that. It's just where I am in my life, at that time, and where my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-gigandet/it-s-never-been-a-plan-to-have-this-or-that-it-s-just-where-i-am-in/) [Cam Gigandet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-gigandet/) > [“But I also know we can’t plan on anyone else rescuing us. We have to do it ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/but-i-also-know-we-can-t-plan-on-anyone-else-rescuing-us-we-have-to/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I plan on actually governing in a nonpartisan fashion because I think that 90% of the problems we face are nonpartisan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-james/i-plan-on-actually-governing-in-a-nonpartisan-fashion-because-i-think/) [John E. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-james/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [“Have a plan and change it often.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mikulovsky/have-a-plan-and-change-it-often/) David Mikulovsky > [I don't think anyone wants to do the same thing over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bachmann/i-don-t-think-anyone-wants-to-do-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again/) [Eric Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bachmann/) > [Koresh believed that God had a plan that would go contrary to any human planning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thibodeau/koresh-believed-that-god-had-a-plan-that-would-go-contrary-to-any/) [David Thibodeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thibodeau/) > [Let your mind be its own and enjoy what you can not all things in life are in need of a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-timbre/let-your-mind-be-its-own-and-enjoy-what-you-can-not-all-things-in/) [Jamie Timbre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-timbre/) > [Many of us believe that we need health care reform. That being said - Americans felt like they weren't being listened to. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-of-us-believe-that-we-need-health-care-reform-that-being-said/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is one thing being disciplined to plan and it is another thing being a disciple of great work. Be your own disciplinarian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/it-is-one-thing-being-disciplined-to-plan-and-it-is-another-thing/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [God has a plan for all of us, but He expects us to do our share of the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minnie-pearl/god-has-a-plan-for-all-of-us-but-he-expects-us-to-do-our-share-of-the/) [Minnie Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minnie-pearl/) Browse all 2,847 Plan quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you have a 10-year plan of how to get [somewhere], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Thiel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get-somewhere-you-should-ask-why/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Plan" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get-somewhere-you-should-ask-why/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/peter-thiel-1311_plan_if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get_1017626.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/peter-thiel-1311_plan_if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get_1017626.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/peter-thiel-1311_plan_if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get_1017626.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you have a 10-year plan of how to get [somewhere], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?” — Peter Thiel", "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": "Peter Thiel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you have a 10-year plan...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get-somewhere-you-should-ask-why/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-have-a-10-year-plan-of-how-to-get-somewhere-you-should-ask-why/#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 } } ] } ```