---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you collaborate, you have to be…"
description: "\"When you collaborate, you have to be willing to scrap a lot.\" — Sheldon Harnick"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/sheldon-harnick-42585_collaborate_when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-will_770258.jpg"
---

#  When you collaborate, you have to be willing to scrap a lot.

![“When you collaborate, you have to be willing to scrap a lot.” quote by Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/sheldon-harnick-42585_collaborate_when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-will_770258.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/sheldon-harnick-42585_collaborate_when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-will_770258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/sheldon-harnick-42585_collaborate_when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-will_770258.jpg)

> “When you collaborate, you have to be willing to scrap a lot.”

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

## About This Quote

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

Collaboration often requires discarding existing ideas to make room for better ones.

**In simple terms:** Working together means letting go of old plans.

Key Takeaway

Be ready to discard to improve.

Themes

collaboration creativity adaptability

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice teamwork

When to use this quote

- team projects
- product development
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

innovation idea iteration

Questions to Reflect On

- What can you let go of to enhance teamwork?
- How do you decide which ideas to discard?

A Different Perspective

Scrapping ideas can waste time if not managed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Collaboration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaboration/)

## Related quotes

> [America can be a partner with China. We don't have to be an adversary in any way, shape or form. We can work with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/america-can-be-a-partner-with-china-we-don-t-have-to-be-an-adversary/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [What you want to do is put people in a position where they feel connected enough to you that they're willing to collaborate with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-voss/what-you-want-to-do-is-put-people-in-a-position-where-they-feel/)

[Christopher Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-voss/)

> [I'm open to whatever. I think sometimes when people collaborate these days, it's a little bit convenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/i-m-open-to-whatever-i-think-sometimes-when-people-collaborate-these/)

[Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/)

> [It is so killer to collaborate with someone who gets what you're trying to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-lynne/it-is-so-killer-to-collaborate-with-someone-who-gets-what-you-re/)

[Shelby Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-lynne/)

> [I am a collaborator with everyone who agrees that I need to be in control. I happily collaborate with my loyalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/i-am-a-collaborator-with-everyone-who-agrees-that-i-need-to-be-in/)

[Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/)

> [I have been fortunate to collaborate with people who have been open to discussion. If I tell them something, they have always explained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fahadh-faasil/i-have-been-fortunate-to-collaborate-with-people-who-have-been-open/)

[Fahadh Faasil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fahadh-faasil/)

> [“If You Respect Their Preparation, You never Drop the Baton”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/if-you-respect-their-preparation-you-never-drop-the-baton/)

[Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/)

> [I'm one that likes to collaborate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/i-m-one-that-likes-to-collaborate/)

[Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/)

> [I just love to collaborate with people who take my ideas real serious, and they don't put up walls around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/i-just-love-to-collaborate-with-people-who-take-my-ideas-real-serious/)

[Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/)

> [I'm very honored to collaborate with Galantis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-wang/i-m-very-honored-to-collaborate-with-galantis/)

[Jackson Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-wang/)

> [Collaborate, don't dictate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/collaborate-don-t-dictate/)

[George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/)

> [I think... you know, collaboration, in general - no matter movies, television or Broadway - is offering of what you can bring to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-chenoweth/i-think-you-know-collaboration-in-general-no-matter-movies-television/)

[Kristin Chenoweth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-chenoweth/)

> [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-internet-lets-thousands-of-total-strangers-collaborate-to-produce/)

[Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/)

> [I'm a huge fan of the Chainsmokers - like, huge. Like, I would love to collaborate with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsea-ballerini/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-the-chainsmokers-like-huge-like-i-would-love-to/)

[Kelsea Ballerini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsea-ballerini/)

## More by Sheldon Harnick

> [A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/a-fiddler-on-the-roof-sounds-crazy-no-but-here-in-our-little-village/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [Love was not something that people married for generally in those days. They married for security. They married for economic reasons, you know, companionship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/love-was-not-something-that-people-married-for-generally-in-those/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [I like editing. Generally, you work under the assumption that everything can be shorter. I like to see if I can reconstruct a sentence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/i-like-editing-generally-you-work-under-the-assumption-that/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [I'd heard that Lenny Bruce used a lot of profanity and obscenities in his act, and I was curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/i-d-heard-that-lenny-bruce-used-a-lot-of-profanity-and-obscenities-in/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [As far as I remember, there was no actual lyric written to that.At the very beginning of "Fiddler on the Roof," there's a violin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/as-far-as-i-remember-there-was-no-actual-lyric-written-to-that-at-the/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [I have a lot of unknown songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/i-have-a-lot-of-unknown-songs/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [I started writing lyrics out of desperation. I was broke and wondering where my next job, my next meal was coming from, although I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/i-started-writing-lyrics-out-of-desperation-i-was-broke-and-wondering/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [I feel in my own life I've made many mistakes. I've failed in many directions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/i-feel-in-my-own-life-i-ve-made-many-mistakes-i-ve-failed-in-many/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [Where you learn things, really, is watching it in front of an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/where-you-learn-things-really-is-watching-it-in-front-of-an-audience/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

[Explore all 10 Sheldon Harnick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

## More Collaborate quotes

> [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [I'm a huge fan of the Chainsmokers - like, huge. Like, I would love to collaborate with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsea-ballerini/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-the-chainsmokers-like-huge-like-i-would-love-to/)

[Kelsea Ballerini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsea-ballerini/)

> [The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-internet-lets-thousands-of-total-strangers-collaborate-to-produce/)

[Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/)

> [The greatest determinant of greatness is going to be our ability to collaborate with others who have pieces of the puzzle we don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-abraham/the-greatest-determinant-of-greatness-is-going-to-be-our-ability-to/)

[Jay Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-abraham/)

> [Do not collaborate with someone you would not go camping with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-poynter/do-not-collaborate-with-someone-you-would-not-go-camping-with/)

[Dan Poynter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-poynter/)

> [Performa's founder and prime mover, Roselee Goldberg, has great instincts for which artists might collaborate well together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberta-smith/performa-s-founder-and-prime-mover-roselee-goldberg-has-great/)

[Roberta Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberta-smith/)

> [If there's someone that I just wan to work with in the future, I set a general meeting and I say, "I'm a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-swank/if-there-s-someone-that-i-just-wan-to-work-with-in-the-future-i-set-a/)

[Hilary Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-swank/)

> [I think... you know, collaboration, in general - no matter movies, television or Broadway - is offering of what you can bring to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-chenoweth/i-think-you-know-collaboration-in-general-no-matter-movies-television/)

[Kristin Chenoweth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-chenoweth/)

> [If you look at U.K. science, we collaborate with people across the whole world, and it's extremely important we continue to do so in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/if-you-look-at-u-k-science-we-collaborate-with-people-across-the/)

[Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/)

> [“It is a tragedy, at rate at which EBOLA VIRUS is spreading in West Africa. It is a fatal disease in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-a-tragedy-at-rate-at-which-ebola-virus-is-spreading-in-west/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [When it all boils down, its about embracing each others stories and maybe even finding that synergy to collaborate for the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhani-jones/when-it-all-boils-down-its-about-embracing-each-others-stories-and/)

[Dhani Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhani-jones/)

> [Collaborate, don't dictate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/collaborate-don-t-dictate/)

[George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/)

> [I dont work with collectives. I don't consult, i don't co-operate, I don't collaborate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-dont-work-with-collectives-i-don-t-consult-i-don-t-co-operate-i-don/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I think the more you know people and the more you get to know artists, the better you can collaborate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-goransson/i-think-the-more-you-know-people-and-the-more-you-get-to-know-artists/)

[Ludwig Goransson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-goransson/)

> [I like to collaborate on my music. The creative process is fun, and you get a lot of ideas from having discussions about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-like-to-collaborate-on-my-music-the-creative-process-is-fun-and-you/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

Browse all 172 Collaborate quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you collaborate, you have to be willing to scrap a lot.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sheldon Harnick"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-willing-to-scrap-a-lot/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Collaborate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-willing-to-scrap-a-lot/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/sheldon-harnick-42585_collaborate_when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-will_770258.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/sheldon-harnick-42585_collaborate_when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-will_770258.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/sheldon-harnick-42585_collaborate_when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-will_770258.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you collaborate, you have to be willing to scrap a lot.” — Sheldon Harnick",
                "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": "Sheldon Harnick",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you collaborate, you have to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-willing-to-scrap-a-lot/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/when-you-collaborate-you-have-to-be-willing-to-scrap-a-lot/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```