---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I saw that there are people who will…"
description: "\"I saw that there are people who will connive against innovation. They're hostile to it. And that has shaped my behavior ever since.\" — Robert Metcalfe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/robert-metcalfe-30657_behavior_i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-con_1487040.png"
---

#  I saw that there are people who will connive against…

![“I saw that there are people who will connive against innovation. They're hostile to it. And that has shaped my behavior ever since.” quote by Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/robert-metcalfe-30657_behavior_i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-con_1487040.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/robert-metcalfe-30657_behavior_i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-con_1487040.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/robert-metcalfe-30657_behavior_i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-con_1487040.png)

> “I saw that there are people who will connive against innovation. They're hostile to it. And that has shaped my behavior ever since.”

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

## About This Quote

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

Innovation faces resistance from those who fear change, shaping a cautious approach.

**In simple terms:** People can resist new ideas.

Key Takeaway

Anticipate and address opposition.

Themes

innovation resistance strategy

Mood

cautious realistic

Type

advice analytical

When to use this quote

- product development
- startup leadership
- policy making

Key Concepts

change management psychology of fear strategic planning

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives people to resist innovation?
- How can you turn resistance into support?

A Different Perspective

Opposition can stall progress if not managed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

## Related quotes

> [There was no reason to label us as anti-Semitic. No reason at all. I do not know one person in the National Front who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-le-pen/there-was-no-reason-to-label-us-as-anti-semitic-no-reason-at-all-i-do/)

[Jean-Marie Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-le-pen/)

> [It was both fascinating and appalling to learn that chimpanzees were capable of hostile and territorial behavior that was not unlike certain forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-was-both-fascinating-and-appalling-to-learn-that-chimpanzees-were/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [Like the early Christians, we must move into a sometime hostile world armed with the revolutionary gospel of Jesus Christ. With this powerful gospel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/like-the-early-christians-we-must-move-into-a-sometime-hostile-world/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [Of all hostile feelings, envy is perhaps the hardest to be subdued, because hardly any one owns it even to himself, but looks out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/of-all-hostile-feelings-envy-is-perhaps-the-hardest-to-be-subdued/)

[Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/)

> [I know whenever it comes to be really dysfunctional and vile and base and hostile on screen, I'm good at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-know-whenever-it-comes-to-be-really-dysfunctional-and-vile-and-base/)

[Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/)

> [When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to assume that their president, hostile to the principles that formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/when-in-the-course-of-human-events-it-becomes-necessary-for-one/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-hardly-news-that-the-obama-administration-is-intensely-and-in/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [If America is truly Israel's greatest ally, we should not be asking it to put its citizens and future at risk by forcing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hasner/if-america-is-truly-israel-s-greatest-ally-we-should-not-be-asking-it/)

[Adam Hasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hasner/)

> [Many men without morals have attacked religion because it was contrary to their inclinations. Many wise men have despised it because it seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/many-men-without-morals-have-attacked-religion-because-it-was/)

[Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/)

> [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/how-could-a-readiness-for-war-in-time-of-peace-be-safely-prohibited/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [It is easy to speak words of love, or to meditate lovingly upon those people with whom you are in harmony. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ponder/it-is-easy-to-speak-words-of-love-or-to-meditate-lovingly-upon-those/)

[Catherine Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ponder/)

> [Dominion is a spy novel, a love story, and also I hope gives some sense of the difficulties faced by dissidents under any totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/dominion-is-a-spy-novel-a-love-story-and-also-i-hope-gives-some-sense/)

[C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/)

> [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/)

[Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/)

## More by Robert Metcalfe

> [When you're running a company, creating jobs is the last thing you want to. When you're running a company you want to employ as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/when-you-re-running-a-company-creating-jobs-is-the-last-thing-you/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [Invention is a flower, innovation is a weed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/invention-is-a-flower-innovation-is-a-weed/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [Innovation makes the world go round. It brings prosperity and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/innovation-makes-the-world-go-round-it-brings-prosperity-and-freedom/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [Where visionaries can be good at persuasion, CEOs are good at wielding authority. Visionaries transcend organizations, resources, and current realities, while CEOs master them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/where-visionaries-can-be-good-at-persuasion-ceos-are-good-at-wielding/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [The world needs a better understanding of how to encourage innovation. And innovators need to get better at it. Sign me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/the-world-needs-a-better-understanding-of-how-to-encourage-innovation/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [Grove giveth and Gates taketh away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/grove-giveth-and-gates-taketh-away/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [In network theory, the value of a system grows as approximately the square of the number of users of the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/in-network-theory-the-value-of-a-system-grows-as-approximately-the/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [You don't grow the economy by growing government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/you-don-t-grow-the-economy-by-growing-government/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [I consider what I write to be literature. I choose the words carefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/i-consider-what-i-write-to-be-literature-i-choose-the-words-carefully/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [Almost all of the many predictions now being made about 1996 hinge on the internet's continuing exponential growth. But I predict the internet will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/almost-all-of-the-many-predictions-now-being-made-about-1996-hinge-on/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [In seven to ten years video traffic on the Internet will exceed data and voice traffic combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/in-seven-to-ten-years-video-traffic-on-the-internet-will-exceed-data/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/i-predict-the-internet-will-soon-go-spectacularly-supernova-and-in/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [The internet will catastrophically collapse in 1996.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/the-internet-will-catastrophically-collapse-in-1996/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [If you cannot be on the project each day to check on things, then you should not try and be your own contractor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/if-you-cannot-be-on-the-project-each-day-to-check-on-things-then-you/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

> [I've screwed up and I've overcommitted and it's typical of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/i-ve-screwed-up-and-i-ve-overcommitted-and-it-s-typical-of-me/)

[Robert Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

[Explore all 17 Robert Metcalfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/)

## More Behavior quotes

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

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

> [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/)

[Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/)

> [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/)

[Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/)

> [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/)

[Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/)

> [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/)

Burne Hogarth

> [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/)

[Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/)

> [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/)

J. Willard Gibbs

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/)

[Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/)

> [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/)

[Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/)

> [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/)

[Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/)

> [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

[Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I saw that there are people who will connive against innovation. They're hostile to it. And that has shaped my behavior ever since.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Metcalfe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-connive-against-innovation-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Behavior"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-connive-against-innovation-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/robert-metcalfe-30657_behavior_i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-con_1487040.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/robert-metcalfe-30657_behavior_i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-con_1487040.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/robert-metcalfe-30657_behavior_i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-con_1487040.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I saw that there are people who will connive against innovation. They're hostile to it. And that has shaped…” — Robert Metcalfe",
                "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": "Robert Metcalfe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-metcalfe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I saw that there are people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-connive-against-innovation-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-metcalfe/i-saw-that-there-are-people-who-will-connive-against-innovation-they/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
