--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How did this happen? How did we start up…" description: "\"“How did this happen? How did we start up a nation from nothing and transform it into a nation of start-ups? The answer lies in a paradox: having nothi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/shimon-peres-1970_natural-resources_how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up_1321685.png" --- # How did this happen? How did we start up a nation from… ![“How did this happen? How did we start up a nation from nothing and transform it into a nation of start-ups? The answer lies in a paradox: having nothing was at once our greatest challenge and our greatest blessing of all. Without natural resources, our hopes were tied to our own creativity.” quote by Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/shimon-peres-1970_natural-resources_how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up_1321685.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/shimon-peres-1970_natural-resources_how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up_1321685.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/shimon-peres-1970_natural-resources_how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up_1321685.png) > ““How did this happen? How did we start up a nation from nothing and transform it into a nation of start-ups? The answer lies in a paradox: having nothing was at once our greatest challenge and our greatest blessing of all. Without natural resources, our hopes were tied to our own creativity.”” [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Having nothing sparked creativity, turning scarcity into a startup nation. **In simple terms:** Scarcity can be a catalyst for innovation. Key Takeaway Leverage constraints to fuel creativity. Themes innovation scarcity entrepreneurship Mood optimistic inspirational Type visionary motivational When to use this quote - resource limitation - startup culture Key Concepts economic development creative problem solving Questions to Reflect On - How can scarcity inspire your projects? - What policies nurture creative resilience? A Different Perspective Overcoming scarcity requires systemic support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nation Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-start-1590154/) [Nation Transform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-transform-3890657/) [Natural resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-resources/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Paradox Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox-having-4406446/) [Start Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-nation-3865221/) ## Related quotes > [Israel is a start-up nation, and I think it can be done in other places. I will do it outside the government. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/israel-is-a-start-up-nation-and-i-think-it-can-be-done-in-other/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [People want the nation to transform in the same way they want their own lives to transform. If you're interested in transforming your life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/people-want-the-nation-to-transform-in-the-same-way-they-want-their/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [If we have to build the nation we have to start from the villages. I will present a complete blueprint of "Sānsad Adharsh Grām…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/if-we-have-to-build-the-nation-we-have-to-start-from-the-villages-i/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [“IT TAKES A VILLIAGE TO RAISE A CHILD! BUT A NATION TO TRANSFORM SPECIAL CHILDREN LIFES!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrs-tabatha-d-cain-malik/it-takes-a-villiage-to-raise-a-child-but-a-nation-to-transform/) [Mrs.Tabatha D. Cain, Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrs-tabatha-d-cain-malik/) > [“If you want to change your nation, you have to start a conversation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-want-to-change-your-nation-you-have-to-start-a-conversation/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [In Israel, a land lacking in natural resources, we learned to appreciate our greatest national advantage: our minds. Through creativity and innovation, we transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/in-israel-a-land-lacking-in-natural-resources-we-learned-to/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [They have stolen the public lands. They have grasped all to themselves, and by their unprincipled greed brought a crisis of unparalleled distress on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-kearney/they-have-stolen-the-public-lands-they-have-grasped-all-to-themselves/) [Denis Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-kearney/) > [As hundreds of millions of Chinese have improved their standard of living, this has put enormous pressure on natural resources, raw materials, and food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lubetzky/as-hundreds-of-millions-of-chinese-have-improved-their-standard-of/) [Daniel Lubetzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lubetzky/) > [Florida's coasts offer natural beauty, world-class tourism, thriving marine life, precious natural resources, and one-of-a-kind military training and testing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paulina-luna/florida-s-coasts-offer-natural-beauty-world-class-tourism-thriving/) [Anna Paulina Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paulina-luna/) > [Extreme weather threatens our energy and electric grid, federal buildings, transportation infrastructure, access to natural resources, public health, our relationships across the globe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/extreme-weather-threatens-our-energy-and-electric-grid-federal/) [Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/) > [We must give less money to these provinces, like my own province of Quebec, and give them the right incentive to develop their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxime-bernier/we-must-give-less-money-to-these-provinces-like-my-own-province-of/) [Maxime Bernier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxime-bernier/) > [“Also today when you sit down to eat your meal, no matter where you are, try to think about the many people who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryusho-jeffus/also-today-when-you-sit-down-to-eat-your-meal-no-matter-where-you-are/) [Ryusho Jeffus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryusho-jeffus/) > [The United States is a very important country to us in the international context. But on other hand, Angola is also important to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-lourenco/the-united-states-is-a-very-important-country-to-us-in-the/) [Joao Lourenco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-lourenco/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More by Shimon Peres > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [I don't think anybody who carries a rifle carries the future. Because I don't believe that you can really change the world by killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-don-t-think-anybody-who-carries-a-rifle-carries-the-future-because/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [I thought all my life that optimists and pessimists pass away the same way, so why be a pessimist?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-thought-all-my-life-that-optimists-and-pessimists-pass-away-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [In many ways, the media today makes dictatorship impossible. But it also makes democracy intolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/in-many-ways-the-media-today-makes-dictatorship-impossible-but-it/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [For many years the stakes were clear. There were the Arabs attacking us and us defending ourselves, so basically there were no real problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/for-many-years-the-stakes-were-clear-there-were-the-arabs-attacking/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [It's a morality that keeps humans human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/it-s-a-morality-that-keeps-humans-human/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [When it becomes a bloody reality, we have to come together and look at what can be done to return to the order of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/when-it-becomes-a-bloody-reality-we-have-to-come-together-and-look-at/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [A politician and a government should be judged by one way only: on the record of what you do or did, not on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/a-politician-and-a-government-should-be-judged-by-one-way-only-on-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [“The choice the pioneers faced was stark: succeed or starve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/the-choice-the-pioneers-faced-was-stark-succeed-or-starve/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [We are living in a world where image-making is important, so we ignore the facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/we-are-living-in-a-world-where-image-making-is-important-so-we-ignore/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [The internet, Facebook and Twitter have created mass communications and social spaces that regimes cannot control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/the-internet-facebook-and-twitter-have-created-mass-communications/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [We had a lot of support - don't give me "the world", just the televisions. In America we enjoy support,China is neutral, India is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/we-had-a-lot-of-support-don-t-give-me-the-world-just-the-televisions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [You're as young as your dreams, not as old as your calendar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/you-re-as-young-as-your-dreams-not-as-old-as-your-calendar/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [In every war, there are always elements of blindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/in-every-war-there-are-always-elements-of-blindness/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) [Explore all 194 Shimon Peres quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) ## More Natural resources quotes > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The United States is a very important country to us in the international context. But on other hand, Angola is also important to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-lourenco/the-united-states-is-a-very-important-country-to-us-in-the/) [Joao Lourenco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-lourenco/) > [“Also today when you sit down to eat your meal, no matter where you are, try to think about the many people who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryusho-jeffus/also-today-when-you-sit-down-to-eat-your-meal-no-matter-where-you-are/) [Ryusho Jeffus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryusho-jeffus/) > [We must give less money to these provinces, like my own province of Quebec, and give them the right incentive to develop their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxime-bernier/we-must-give-less-money-to-these-provinces-like-my-own-province-of/) [Maxime Bernier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxime-bernier/) > [Extreme weather threatens our energy and electric grid, federal buildings, transportation infrastructure, access to natural resources, public health, our relationships across the globe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/extreme-weather-threatens-our-energy-and-electric-grid-federal/) [Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/) > [Florida's coasts offer natural beauty, world-class tourism, thriving marine life, precious natural resources, and one-of-a-kind military training and testing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paulina-luna/florida-s-coasts-offer-natural-beauty-world-class-tourism-thriving/) [Anna Paulina Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paulina-luna/) > [As hundreds of millions of Chinese have improved their standard of living, this has put enormous pressure on natural resources, raw materials, and food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lubetzky/as-hundreds-of-millions-of-chinese-have-improved-their-standard-of/) [Daniel Lubetzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lubetzky/) > [They have stolen the public lands. They have grasped all to themselves, and by their unprincipled greed brought a crisis of unparalleled distress on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-kearney/they-have-stolen-the-public-lands-they-have-grasped-all-to-themselves/) [Denis Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-kearney/) > [“If overpopulation or lack of resources created poverty, then Hong Kong should be poor. Hong Kong has 20 times as many people per square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/if-overpopulation-or-lack-of-resources-created-poverty-then-hong-kong/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [When I joined Ford, in the late 1970s, I felt strongly we could not forever be a huge user of natural resources without there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-joined-ford-in-the-late-1970s-i-felt-strongly-we-could-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are plenty of risks when we encourage "investment" or commoditization of natural resources, as power dynamics may mean that poor people (who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-d-gayle/there-are-plenty-of-risks-when-we-encourage-investment-or/) [Helene D. Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-d-gayle/) > [There is no domestic issue more important to America in the long run than the conservation and proper use of our natural resources, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/there-is-no-domestic-issue-more-important-to-america-in-the-long-run/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-natural-resources-is-the-fundamental-problem/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Canada, by others in the global family, is, for some reason, taken seriously. They have about 30 million people. They have some natural resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/canada-by-others-in-the-global-family-is-for-some-reason-taken/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) [Browse all 443 Natural resources quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-resources/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How did this happen? How did we start up a nation from nothing and transform it into a nation of start-ups? The answer lies in a paradox: having nothing was at once our greatest challenge and our greatest blessing of all. Without natural resources, our hopes were tied to our own creativity.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shimon Peres" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up-a-nation-from-nothing-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Natural resources" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up-a-nation-from-nothing-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/shimon-peres-1970_natural-resources_how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up_1321685.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/shimon-peres-1970_natural-resources_how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up_1321685.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/shimon-peres-1970_natural-resources_how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up_1321685.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How did this happen? How did we start up a nation from nothing and transform it into a nation of start-ups?…” — Shimon Peres", "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": "Shimon Peres", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How did this happen? How did...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up-a-nation-from-nothing-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/how-did-this-happen-how-did-we-start-up-a-nation-from-nothing-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 } } ] } ```