--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you write your own tools, you can sort…" description: "\"If you write your own tools, you can sort of see new things, design new things.\" — Saul Griffith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/saul-griffith-42840_design_if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort_3060060.jpg" --- # If you write your own tools, you can sort of see new… ![“If you write your own tools, you can sort of see new things, design new things.” quote by Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/saul-griffith-42840_design_if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort_3060060.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/saul-griffith-42840_design_if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort_3060060.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/saul-griffith-42840_design_if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort_3060060.jpg) > “If you write your own tools, you can sort of see new things, design new things.” [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating personal tools reveals new perspectives and fosters innovation. **In simple terms:** Building your own tools opens insight. Key Takeaway Design and experiment. Themes innovation creativity self‑reliance Mood inspirational practical Type creative technical When to use this quote - startup creation - DIY projects - research labs Key Concepts design thinking toolmaking Questions to Reflect On - What tools could you build? - How does creation change perception? A Different Perspective Requires technical skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-new-4037220/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-things/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Things Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-design-3122526/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-tools-5128760/) [Write your own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-your-own/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [Ever since I was young I loved making things and being part of the design process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/ever-since-i-was-young-i-loved-making-things-and-being-part-of-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I love the big scale and immediate impact of posters. They're my favourite things to design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-love-the-big-scale-and-immediate-impact-of-posters-they-re-my/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I'd like to do a lot of things - whether in design or architecture or business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-wozniacki/i-d-like-to-do-a-lot-of-things-whether-in-design-or-architecture-or/) [Caroline Wozniacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-wozniacki/) > [Apple's Jony Ive describes his "fanatical" approach to design in new interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/apple-s-jony-ive-describes-his-fanatical-approach-to-design-in-new/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [A greater focus on design in all new homes would make the best use of land, create homes and public spaces, and reinforce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/a-greater-focus-on-design-in-all-new-homes-would-make-the-best-use-of/) [Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/) > [I always tried to design something new and of the moment. 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It is much harder work, but sometimes you have to take destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/write-your-own-part-it-is-the-only-way-i-ve-gotten-anywhere-it-is/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [Especially as an artist who has been signed to one of the majors throughout my last ten years, you don't always get to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kreesha-turner/especially-as-an-artist-who-has-been-signed-to-one-of-the-majors/) [Kreesha Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kreesha-turner/) > [If you don't like someone's story, write your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/if-you-don-t-like-someone-s-story-write-your-own/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [I think that if you are sticking to the text, essentially, you're not trying to write your own version of it. I mean, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-goldstein/i-think-that-if-you-are-sticking-to-the-text-essentially-you-re-not/) [Ann Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-goldstein/) > [I love jazz. I still do. Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz are so good. I took a notification course in Jazz Orchestration. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-love-jazz-i-still-do-dave-brubeck-and-stan-getz-are-so-good-i-took/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I do not allow fan-fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan-fiction with my characters. I advise my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-do-not-allow-fan-fiction-the-characters-are-copyrighted-it-upsets/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## More by Saul Griffith > [Conventional turbines only work up to 200 feet, but capturing a small fraction of the global wind energy at higher altitudes could be sufficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/conventional-turbines-only-work-up-to-200-feet-but-capturing-a-small/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [We need a proportional quantitative understanding of energy use, for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/we-need-a-proportional-quantitative-understanding-of-energy-use-for/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [In many respects, designing heirloom products means saying no to designing consumer crap that you know will not last very long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/in-many-respects-designing-heirloom-products-means-saying-no-to/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [I think in reality, today, if you use the same tools as everyone else, you kind of build the same products.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/i-think-in-reality-today-if-you-use-the-same-tools-as-everyone-else/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [If you have to design something, choose things that we need as opposed to frivolous things that we might just want for a month…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/if-you-have-to-design-something-choose-things-that-we-need-as-opposed/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [The principal and only way to make an heirloom product is to design something that people will need not just this year, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/the-principal-and-only-way-to-make-an-heirloom-product-is-to-design/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [I think there's an infinite number of cool technology sports that should exist that don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/i-think-there-s-an-infinite-number-of-cool-technology-sports-that/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [I need to be thinking about a few things at once. I think it actually helps because you're cross-fertilizing yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/i-need-to-be-thinking-about-a-few-things-at-once-i-think-it-actually/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [Energy literacy means you can see the waste in disposing of a plastic bottle after you've drunk water from some place on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/energy-literacy-means-you-can-see-the-waste-in-disposing-of-a-plastic/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) [Explore all 10 Saul Griffith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) ## More Design quotes > [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/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) [Giambattista Bodoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-bodoni/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [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 design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) [Fang Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fang-chen/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Browse all 5,563 Design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you write your own tools, you can sort of see new things, design new things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saul Griffith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort-of-see-new-things-design-new/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Design" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort-of-see-new-things-design-new/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/saul-griffith-42840_design_if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort_3060060.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/saul-griffith-42840_design_if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort_3060060.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/saul-griffith-42840_design_if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort_3060060.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you write your own tools, you can sort of see new things, design new things.” — Saul Griffith", "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": "Saul Griffith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you write your own tools,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort-of-see-new-things-design-new/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/if-you-write-your-own-tools-you-can-sort-of-see-new-things-design-new/#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 } } ] } ```