--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Punishing honest mistakes stifles…" description: "\"Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they're going to make mistakes.\" — Ross Perot" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/ross-perot-10054_creativity_punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creati_319591.jpg" --- # Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want… ![“Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they're going to make mistakes.” quote by Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/ross-perot-10054_creativity_punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creati_319591.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/ross-perot-10054_creativity_punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creati_319591.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/ross-perot-10054_creativity_punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creati_319591.jpg) > “Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they're going to make mistakes.” [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Punishing honest mistakes hinders innovation and progress. **In simple terms:** Mistakes stifle creativity. Key Takeaway Allow errors to foster growth. Themes creativity innovation risk-taking Mood encouraging optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - startup culture - educational settings - research labs - artistic projects Key Concepts psychology organizational behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance accountability with freedom to err? - What systems support learning from mistakes? A Different Perspective Excessive leniency may enable repeated failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-mistakes-1039370/) [Make mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-mistakes/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Mistakes Stifles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-stifles-3014284/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Punishing Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishing-honest-3014283/) [Shaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shaking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Be honest about mistakes. Even if you are afraid of what people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/be-honest-about-mistakes-even-if-you-are-afraid-of-what-people-think/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [To be honest ,... we both made mistakes you were wrong, so was I. This realationship is not working between us. Now it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syoung/to-be-honest-we-both-made-mistakes-you-were-wrong-so-was-i-this/) [Syoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syoung/) > [I've made some great mistakes in my life, but, you know, they were honest mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-ve-made-some-great-mistakes-in-my-life-but-you-know-they-were/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Everybody makes honest mistakes, but there's no such thing as an honest cover-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/everybody-makes-honest-mistakes-but-there-s-no-such-thing-as-an/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-s-only-those-who-do-nothing-that-make-no-mistakes-i-suppose/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I want people to see me make mistakes and learn from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-panday/i-want-people-to-see-me-make-mistakes-and-learn-from-them/) [Ananya Panday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-panday/) > [{MONEY & WOMEN} The HUGE Reasons To Make MISTAKES In LIFE! Piece Of Advice, Be Careful Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abiodun-t-olaonipekun/money-women-the-huge-reasons-to-make-mistakes-in-life-piece-of-advice/) [Abiodun T Olaonipekun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abiodun-t-olaonipekun/) > [Even when I make mistakes and people exploit my mistakes on television or on the Internet, and they use it to make fun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hasselhoff/even-when-i-make-mistakes-and-people-exploit-my-mistakes-on/) [David Hasselhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hasselhoff/) > [I have never meant a person that was perfect. We all make mistakes. Even the people that think they're perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-never-meant-a-person-that-was-perfect-we-all-make-mistakes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People make mistakes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-barnholdt/people-make-mistakes/) [Lauren Barnholdt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-barnholdt/) > [If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a big mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-wikzek/if-you-don-t-make-mistakes-you-re-not-working-on-hard-enough-problems/) [F Wikzek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-wikzek/) > [Suddenly you make no mistakes because thats only me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bognar/suddenly-you-make-no-mistakes-because-thats-only-me/) [Jenna Bognar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bognar/) > [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/) > [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/) > [When you make mistakes during routines, it's not easy getting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-sacramone/when-you-make-mistakes-during-routines-it-s-not-easy-getting-through/) [Alicia Sacramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-sacramone/) ## More by Ross Perot > [We have to succeed, so we will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/we-have-to-succeed-so-we-will/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Inventories can be managed, but people must be led.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/inventories-can-be-managed-but-people-must-be-led/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Sometimes in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment.As you become successful,you will need a great deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/sometimes-in-human-nature-causes-us-to-start-slacking-off-at-our/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Big is not beautiful. Big is inefficient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/big-is-not-beautiful-big-is-inefficient/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [This planet is our home. If we destroy the planet, we've destroyed our home, so it is fundamentally important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/this-planet-is-our-home-if-we-destroy-the-planet-we-ve-destroyed-our/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Anything that is excellent or praiseworthy stands moment by moment on the cutting edge and must be constantly fought for. Well placed priorities always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/anything-that-is-excellent-or-praiseworthy-stands-moment-by-moment-on/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [I honestly believe I'd make one of the worst elected officials in the history of this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/i-honestly-believe-i-d-make-one-of-the-worst-elected-officials-in-the/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [If you can't stand a little sacrifice and you can't stand a trip across the desert with limited water, we're never going to straighten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/if-you-can-t-stand-a-little-sacrifice-and-you-can-t-stand-a-trip/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [If someone as blessed as I am is not willing to clean out the barn, who will?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/if-someone-as-blessed-as-i-am-is-not-willing-to-clean-out-the-barn/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, the public debt should be reduced and the arrogance of public officials should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/the-budget-should-be-balanced-the-treasury-should-be-refilled-the/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [If you see a snake, just kill it - don't appoint a committee on snakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/if-you-see-a-snake-just-kill-it-don-t-appoint-a-committee-on-snakes/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [The best way to make money is not to have money as your primary goal. I've seen great people come into the business world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/the-best-way-to-make-money-is-not-to-have-money-as-your-primary-goal/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [If we decide to take this level of business creating ability nationwide, we'll all be plucking chickens for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/if-we-decide-to-take-this-level-of-business-creating-ability/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [I love this country, I love the principles on which it's founded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/i-love-this-country-i-love-the-principles-on-which-it-s-founded/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/most-people-give-up-just-when-they-re-about-to-achieve-success-they/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) [Explore all 68 Ross Perot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [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/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they're going to make mistakes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ross Perot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creativity-i-want-people-moving-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creativity-i-want-people-moving-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/ross-perot-10054_creativity_punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creati_319591.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/ross-perot-10054_creativity_punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creati_319591.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/ross-perot-10054_creativity_punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creati_319591.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they're going…” — Ross Perot", "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": "Ross Perot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creativity-i-want-people-moving-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creativity-i-want-people-moving-and/#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 } } ] } ```