--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had noticed that many of these…" description: "\"I had noticed that many of these successful people, historical and contemporary, shared certain common traits. They had a way of thinking that was exce..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/429/robert-greene-498_adapt_i-had-noticed-that-many-of-these-success_2949352.png" --- # I had noticed that many of these successful people… ![“I had noticed that many of these successful people, historical and contemporary, shared certain common traits. They had a way of thinking that was exceptionally fluid; they could adapt to almost any circumstance; when confronted with problems, they could look at them from novel perspectives and…” quote by Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/429/robert-greene-498_adapt_i-had-noticed-that-many-of-these-success_2949352.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/429/robert-greene-498_adapt_i-had-noticed-that-many-of-these-success_2949352.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/429/robert-greene-498_adapt_i-had-noticed-that-many-of-these-success_2949352.png) > “I had noticed that many of these successful people, historical and contemporary, shared certain common traits. They had a way of thinking that was exceptionally fluid; they could adapt to almost any circumstance; when confronted with problems, they could look at them from novel perspectives and solve them.” [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Successful individuals share fluid thinking, adaptability, and novel problem‑solving, enabling them to thrive across contexts. **In simple terms:** Flexibility and creative thinking drive success. Key Takeaway Cultivate adaptable mindset. Themes success adaptability creativity Mood motivational strategic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - business leadership - personal development - crisis management - innovation Key Concepts psychology strategic thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice fluid thinking without compromising values? - What habits foster adaptable perspectives? A Different Perspective Flexibility alone may not guarantee ethical outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Five common traits of good writers: (1) They have something to say. (2) They read widely and have done so since childhood. (3) They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-j-kilpatrick/five-common-traits-of-good-writers-1-they-have-something-to-say-2/) [James J. Kilpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-j-kilpatrick/) > [The great thing about dealing with people about whom we have historical resources, is that if the writing needs work, there's everywhere to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/the-great-thing-about-dealing-with-people-about-whom-we-have/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [Most people's historical perspective begins with the day of their birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/most-people-s-historical-perspective-begins-with-the-day-of-their/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [History tells us what people do; historical fiction helps us imagine how they felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-vanderhaeghe/history-tells-us-what-people-do-historical-fiction-helps-us-imagine/) [Guy Vanderhaeghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-vanderhaeghe/) > [A people's literature is the great textbook for real knowledge of them. The writings of the day show the quality of the people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/a-people-s-literature-is-the-great-textbook-for-real-knowledge-of/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [All the most successful people nowadays who are truly successful and innovative in their field are not people motivated by money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/all-the-most-successful-people-nowadays-who-are-truly-successful-and/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I've learnt to adapt on the pitch and, when I think back, also in front of goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gervinho/i-ve-learnt-to-adapt-on-the-pitch-and-when-i-think-back-also-in-front/) [Gervinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gervinho/) > [A career is about learning to adapt yourself to the new environment and learning to sink or swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/a-career-is-about-learning-to-adapt-yourself-to-the-new-environment/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [Floods, droughts, and natural disasters are a fact of life for farmers, ranchers, and foresters. They have persevered in the past, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-perdue/floods-droughts-and-natural-disasters-are-a-fact-of-life-for-farmers/) [Sonny Perdue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-perdue/) > [It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/it-s-fun-to-see-how-other-artists-adapt-my-work/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [You always can improve and I think that's the beauty of international cricket, particularly test cricket, is playing all around the world against different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-always-can-improve-and-i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-international/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [Just watching people's ability to adapt, especially young people's, inspires me to accept more in life instead of wishing things were different all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-seehorn/just-watching-people-s-ability-to-adapt-especially-young-people-s/) [Rhea Seehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-seehorn/) > [Ancelotti immediately understood me and put me in the right situation to adapt quickly. I was 18 and, at that age, it is difficult.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-verratti/ancelotti-immediately-understood-me-and-put-me-in-the-right-situation/) [Marco Verratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-verratti/) > [Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-ryan/enjoying-success-requires-the-ability-to-adapt-only-by-being-open-to/) [Nolan Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-ryan/) ## More by Robert Greene > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I'm afraid I'm just too intense to have soft ideas, you know, about what to read when you're trying to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-afraid-i-m-just-too-intense-to-have-soft-ideas-you-know-about/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right. They set traps, asking you to do things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-me-spell-it-out-with-the-psychotic-boss-nothing-you-do-is-ever/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Evil or manipulative people don't need a book, they just do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/evil-or-manipulative-people-don-t-need-a-book-they-just-do-it-anyway/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Remember: your bosses prefer to keep you in dependent positions. It is in their interest that you do not become self-reliant, and so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/remember-your-bosses-prefer-to-keep-you-in-dependent-positions-it-is/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [It's sometimes hard to talk about politics and art. Obviously, I have my core beliefs, but I think art is best when it's troublesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-talk-about-politics-and-art-obviously-i-have/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Your energy, your spirit are important considerations. Feeling petty and frustrated can have reverberating consequences for your ability to think strategically and reach your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/your-energy-your-spirit-are-important-considerations-feeling-petty/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic- as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/fear-creates-its-own-self-fulfilling-dynamic-as-people-give-into-it/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“It is hard for us to imagine now, but our earliest human ancestors who ventured out onto the grasslands of East Africa some six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-is-hard-for-us-to-imagine-now-but-our-earliest-human-ancestors-who/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“Let us call this quality the Original Mind. This mind looked at the world more directly—not through words and received ideas. It was flexible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-us-call-this-quality-the-original-mind-this-mind-looked-at-the/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Explore all 511 Robert Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## More Adapt quotes > [Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-ryan/enjoying-success-requires-the-ability-to-adapt-only-by-being-open-to/) [Nolan Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-ryan/) > [Ancelotti immediately understood me and put me in the right situation to adapt quickly. I was 18 and, at that age, it is difficult.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-verratti/ancelotti-immediately-understood-me-and-put-me-in-the-right-situation/) [Marco Verratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-verratti/) > [Just watching people's ability to adapt, especially young people's, inspires me to accept more in life instead of wishing things were different all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-seehorn/just-watching-people-s-ability-to-adapt-especially-young-people-s/) [Rhea Seehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-seehorn/) > [You always can improve and I think that's the beauty of international cricket, particularly test cricket, is playing all around the world against different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-always-can-improve-and-i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-international/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/it-s-fun-to-see-how-other-artists-adapt-my-work/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [Floods, droughts, and natural disasters are a fact of life for farmers, ranchers, and foresters. They have persevered in the past, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-perdue/floods-droughts-and-natural-disasters-are-a-fact-of-life-for-farmers/) [Sonny Perdue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-perdue/) > [A career is about learning to adapt yourself to the new environment and learning to sink or swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/a-career-is-about-learning-to-adapt-yourself-to-the-new-environment/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [I've learnt to adapt on the pitch and, when I think back, also in front of goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gervinho/i-ve-learnt-to-adapt-on-the-pitch-and-when-i-think-back-also-in-front/) [Gervinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gervinho/) > [On my end, I am still surprised that many media organizations are unable to adapt to new media formats and, more importantly, new network…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/on-my-end-i-am-still-surprised-that-many-media-organizations-are/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [“The more in tune we are with nature and the more we actually observe our surroundings, the easier it is for us to adapt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-cassell-jr/the-more-in-tune-we-are-with-nature-and-the-more-we-actually-observe/) [Warren Cassell Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-cassell-jr/) > [There is a sort of theory that you should adapt bad books because they always make more successful films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hampton/there-is-a-sort-of-theory-that-you-should-adapt-bad-books-because/) [Christopher Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hampton/) > [It's strange to play outdoors, especially in the daytime. But we're figuring it out. The rules are different for festival shows - how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dost/it-s-strange-to-play-outdoors-especially-in-the-daytime-but-we-re/) [Andrew Dost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dost/) > [Whatever role I get told to play, I just have to adapt to it and play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-iwobi/whatever-role-i-get-told-to-play-i-just-have-to-adapt-to-it-and-play/) [Alex Iwobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-iwobi/) > [I'm able to mentally adapt to things very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cole/i-m-able-to-mentally-adapt-to-things-very-well/) [Justin Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cole/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) Browse all 767 Adapt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had noticed that many of these successful people, historical and contemporary, shared certain common traits. 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