--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great execution towards a terrible idea…" description: "\"Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you nowhere.\" — Sam Altman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/sam-altman-1494_execution_great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea_2537568.png" --- # Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you… ![“Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you nowhere.” quote by Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/sam-altman-1494_execution_great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea_2537568.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/sam-altman-1494_execution_great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea_2537568.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/sam-altman-1494_execution_great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea_2537568.png) > “Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you nowhere.” [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excellent execution of a bad idea leads nowhere; execution must be paired with a good concept. **In simple terms:** Good ideas need good execution; both are required. Key Takeaway Validate ideas before investing effort. Themes business strategy innovation Mood cautious analytical Type strategic advisory When to use this quote - startup pitches - product development - project planning - resource allocation Key Concepts idea validation execution risk Questions to Reflect On - How to test idea viability early? - What metrics indicate a good idea? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on execution can waste resources on flawed concepts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) [Execution Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution-terrible-1402080/) [Great Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-execution-985814/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-idea-291681/) ## Related quotes > [Great execution. That's what you have to do when you're playing great teams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcgrady/great-execution-that-s-what-you-have-to-do-when-you-re-playing-great/) [Tracy McGrady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcgrady/) > [I had always assumed that the right way to do it was to these engineers, put them in offices by themselves with doors that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/i-had-always-assumed-that-the-right-way-to-do-it-was-to-these/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [I have always believed that giving children choice is a terrible idea. The more choice you give, the more they will run rings around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrika-jonsson/i-have-always-believed-that-giving-children-choice-is-a-terrible-idea/) [Ulrika Jonsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrika-jonsson/) > [I am not immune to Oprah's charms, but President Winfrey is a terrible idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-am-not-immune-to-oprah-s-charms-but-president-winfrey-is-a-terrible/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [“Come up with a terrible idea? No problem—just don’t act on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/come-up-with-a-terrible-idea-no-problem-just-don-t-act-on-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It sounds like a terrible idea,” said Friday. “But that doesn’t mean it won’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-spratt-2/it-sounds-like-a-terrible-idea-said-friday-but-that-doesn-t-mean-it/) [R.A. Spratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-spratt-2/) > [Growing up, I used to babysit, but, thinking back on what I was like at 15, this was probably a terrible idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stoll/growing-up-i-used-to-babysit-but-thinking-back-on-what-i-was-like-at/) [Corey Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stoll/) > [All of everything we've ever done has been riding on low expectations. 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,' a terrible idea. Doing '21 Jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-miller/all-of-everything-we-ve-ever-done-has-been-riding-on-low-expectations/) [Christopher Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-miller/) > [It was a very bad idea. It was a terrible idea. It was the worst idea he had ever heard. It was irresistible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/it-was-a-very-bad-idea-it-was-a-terrible-idea-it-was-the-worst-idea/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If justin.tv can succeed, then nobody has an excuse. It was a terrible idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-kan/if-justin-tv-can-succeed-then-nobody-has-an-excuse-it-was-a-terrible/) [Justin Kan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-kan/) > [Animal testing is a terrible idea. They get nervous and give the wrong answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/animal-testing-is-a-terrible-idea-they-get-nervous-and-give-the-wrong/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I thought it was a terrible idea being a supporting character on a football show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-britton/i-thought-it-was-a-terrible-idea-being-a-supporting-character-on-a/) [Connie Britton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-britton/) > [“This is a terrible idea. He felt like Admiral Ackbar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-tate/this-is-a-terrible-idea-he-felt-like-admiral-ackbar/) [Harley Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-tate/) > [“I'm not going to tell you to trust me, because that's a terrible idea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-garber/i-m-not-going-to-tell-you-to-trust-me-because-that-s-a-terrible-idea/) [Stephanie Garber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-garber/) > [There have been some clients who have said, 'In order to compete, I'm going to put a pool in and then sell the house.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-scott/there-have-been-some-clients-who-have-said-in-order-to-compete-i-m/) [Jonathan Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-scott/) ## More by Sam Altman > [The best people know that they should join a rocketship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-best-people-know-that-they-should-join-a-rocketship/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [You really want to know your cofounders for a while, ideally years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/you-really-want-to-know-your-cofounders-for-a-while-ideally-years/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Employees will only add more value over time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/employees-will-only-add-more-value-over-time/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-thing-i-tell-startups-all-the-time-is-that-the-best-way-to-grow/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [A winning team feels good and keeps winning. A team that hasn't won in a while gets demotivated and keeps losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/a-winning-team-feels-good-and-keeps-winning-a-team-that-hasn-t-won-in/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [You're either not hiring at all or it's probably your single biggest block of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/you-re-either-not-hiring-at-all-or-it-s-probably-your-single-biggest/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-thing-that-kills-startups-at-some-level-is-the-founders-giving-up/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Execution gets divided into two key questions: 1) can you figure out what to do and 2) can you get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/execution-gets-divided-into-two-key-questions-1-can-you-figure-out/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [If you want something in a deal, just ask for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/if-you-want-something-in-a-deal-just-ask-for-it/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Most things are not as risky as they seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/most-things-are-not-as-risky-as-they-seem/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [I prefer to invest in a company that's going after a small but rapidly growing market than a big but slow growing one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/i-prefer-to-invest-in-a-company-that-s-going-after-a-small-but/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/startups-are-not-the-best-choice-for-work-life-balance-and-that-s/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [One of the biggest advantages that start ups have is execution speed and you have to have this relentless operating rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-of-the-biggest-advantages-that-start-ups-have-is-execution-speed/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [One of the keys to focus, and why I said cofounders that aren't friends really struggle, is that you can't be focused without good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-of-the-keys-to-focus-and-why-i-said-cofounders-that-aren-t/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Startups are very hard no matter what you do; you may as well go after a big opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/startups-are-very-hard-no-matter-what-you-do-you-may-as-well-go-after/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) [Explore all 235 Sam Altman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) ## More Execution quotes > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ideas are easy. Execution is everything. It takes a team to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doerr/ideas-are-easy-execution-is-everything-it-takes-a-team-to-win/) [John Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doerr/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Cooking brings me so much joy. I love everything, down to the execution of the plate to picking out fresh ingredients at the market.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-budig/cooking-brings-me-so-much-joy-i-love-everything-down-to-the-execution/) [Kathryn Budig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-budig/) > [When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-shoot-someone-who-is-fleeing-it-s-not-self-defense-it-s-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Art is beauty, the perpetual invention of detail, the choice of words, the exquisite care of execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/art-is-beauty-the-perpetual-invention-of-detail-the-choice-of-words/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [The pursuit of peace resembles the building of a great cathedral. It is the work of a generation. In concept it requires a mater-architect;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/the-pursuit-of-peace-resembles-the-building-of-a-great-cathedral-it/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [It is far more difficult to be simple than to be complicated; far more difficult to sacrifice skill and easy execution in the proper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-is-far-more-difficult-to-be-simple-than-to-be-complicated-far-more/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Basketball, like all sports, is predicated on the execution of fundamentals. The coach is a teacher. His subject: fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ramsay/basketball-like-all-sports-is-predicated-on-the-execution-of/) [Jack Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ramsay/) > [Systems program building is an entropy-decreasing process, hence inherently metastable. Program maintenance is an entropy-increasing process, and even its most skillful execution only delays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/systems-program-building-is-an-entropy-decreasing-process-hence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/) [Philip Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-alston/) [Browse all 868 Execution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you nowhere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Altman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea-will-get-you-nowhere/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Execution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea-will-get-you-nowhere/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/sam-altman-1494_execution_great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea_2537568.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/sam-altman-1494_execution_great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea_2537568.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/sam-altman-1494_execution_great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea_2537568.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you nowhere.” — Sam Altman", "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": "Sam Altman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Great execution towards a terrible idea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea-will-get-you-nowhere/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/great-execution-towards-a-terrible-idea-will-get-you-nowhere/#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 } } ] } ```