--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Simple can be harder than complex: You…" description: "\"“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/steve-jobs-307_complex_simple-can-be-harder-than-complex-you-ha_1426226.jpg" --- # Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard… ![“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” quote by Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/steve-jobs-307_complex_simple-can-be-harder-than-complex-you-ha_1426226.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/steve-jobs-307_complex_simple-can-be-harder-than-complex-you-ha_1426226.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/steve-jobs-307_complex_simple-can-be-harder-than-complex-you-ha_1426226.jpg) > ““Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”” [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Simplicity requires deep effort to clarify thoughts, but achieving it enables powerful results. **In simple terms:** Making things simple is hard but rewarding. Key Takeaway Invest effort to simplify. Themes clarity creativity productivity Mood inspired determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - product development - writing - teaching - problem solving Key Concepts design cognitive load efficiency Questions to Reflect On - What process helps you distill ideas? - When does simplicity hinder nuance? A Different Perspective Simplicity may overlook necessary complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-thinking-371113/) [Harder Complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder-complex-4281750/) [Make Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-simple-362311/) [Move mountains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move-mountains/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Simple Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-harder-920907/) [Simplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/) ## Related quotes > [Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/simple-can-be-harder-than-complex-you-have-to-work-hard-to-get-your-2/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/that-s-been-one-of-my-mantras-focus-and-simplicity-simple-can-be/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/that-s-been-one-of-my-mantras-focus-and-simplicity-simple-can-be-2/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/that-s-been-one-of-my-mantras-focus-and-simplicity-simple-can-be-3/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-takes-a-lot-of-hard-work-to-make-something-simple/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Books do not make life easier or more simple, but harder and more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-golden/books-do-not-make-life-easier-or-more-simple-but-harder-and-more/) [Harry Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-golden/) > [“If I start to think,I'm going to think really hard about not thinking until I quit thinking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner-the-kill-order/if-i-start-to-think-i-m-going-to-think-really-hard-about-not-thinking/) [James Dashner The Kill Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner-the-kill-order/) > [Thinking about design is hard, but not thinking about it can be disastrous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/thinking-about-design-is-hard-but-not-thinking-about-it-can-be/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [They spend more time in analyzing, in collecting materials, and in hard thinking than on prayer, on seeking God's mind, and on waiting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/they-spend-more-time-in-analyzing-in-collecting-materials-and-in-hard/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [Here's one from me: 'You have to be aware that everyone else is thinking far too hard about themselves to be thinking about you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/here-s-one-from-me-you-have-to-be-aware-that-everyone-else-is/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [“The profit lure of mass production obviously has a place in the plans and strategy of business management, but it must always follow hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/the-profit-lure-of-mass-production-obviously-has-a-place-in-the-plans/) [Harvard Business School Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvard-business-school-press/) > [Everything goes. I am working very hard at not thinking about how everything goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/everything-goes-i-am-working-very-hard-at-not-thinking-about-how/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Focus and simplicity...once you get there, you can move mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/focus-and-simplicity-once-you-get-there-you-can-move-mountains/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“But simplicity is not so simple to attain. Steve Jobs figured out that “you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/but-simplicity-is-not-so-simple-to-attain-steve-jobs-figured-out-that/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The most radical, audacious thing to think is that there might be some point to working hard and thinking hard and reading hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-radical-audacious-thing-to-think-is-that-there-might-be-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Steve Jobs > [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I admire Mark Zuckerberg... for not selling out, for wanting to make a company. I admire that a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-admire-mark-zuckerberg-for-not-selling-out-for-wanting-to-make-a/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If you want to hire great people and have them stay, you have to be run by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-you-want-to-hire-great-people-and-have-them-stay-you-have-to-be/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/everything-around-you-that-you-call-life-was-made-up-by-people-that/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It's about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/innovation-is-not-about-saying-yes-to-everything-it-s-about-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-first-start-off-trying-to-solve-a-problem-the-first/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I'm not dismissing the value of higher education; I'm simply saying it comes at the expense of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-m-not-dismissing-the-value-of-higher-education-i-m-simply-saying-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“To YoYo Ma: "You playing is the best argument I've ever heard for the existence of God, because I don't really believe a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/to-yoyo-ma-you-playing-is-the-best-argument-i-ve-ever-heard-for-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The most important thing is a person. A person who incites your curiosity and feeds your curiosity; and machines cannot do that in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-most-important-thing-is-a-person-a-person-who-incites-your/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The tragedy is that Dell didn't win it - we lost it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-tragedy-is-that-dell-didn-t-win-it-we-lost-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves. In fact some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-great-artists-and-great-engineers-are-similar-in-that-they/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It's rare that you see an artist in his 30s or 40s able to really contribute something amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-rare-that-you-see-an-artist-in-his-30s-or-40s-able-to-really/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [We're going to be able to ask our computers to monitor things for us, and when certain conditions happen, are triggered, the computers will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-re-going-to-be-able-to-ask-our-computers-to-monitor-things-for-us/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) [Explore all 695 Steve Jobs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More Complex quotes > [Ownership is a very complex judicial concept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/ownership-is-a-very-complex-judicial-concept/) [Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [I have faith in an audience being able to interpret complex material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-heineman/i-have-faith-in-an-audience-being-able-to-interpret-complex-material/) [Matthew Heineman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-heineman/) > [We're all complex human beings, and if some of that complexity shows through, I think it's advantageous for the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-de-bont/we-re-all-complex-human-beings-and-if-some-of-that-complexity-shows/) [Jan de Bont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-de-bont/) > [Mike Tyson is the most complex person I've ever met in my life. I've known Mike since 1986. We're both from Brooklyn. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/mike-tyson-is-the-most-complex-person-i-ve-ever-met-in-my-life-i-ve/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Life is complex. It has real and imaginary components.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-potter/life-is-complex-it-has-real-and-imaginary-components/) [Tom Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-potter/) > [As they grow, companies saturate their markets, become more complex and difficult to manage, and face larger and more entrenched competitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/as-they-grow-companies-saturate-their-markets-become-more-complex-and/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [“The act of consciousness is central; otherwise we are overrun by the complexes. The hero in each of us is required to answer the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hollis/the-act-of-consciousness-is-central-otherwise-we-are-overrun-by-the/) [James Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hollis/) > [Post-minimalism implies music that's genre-less. Minimalism was very important because it came at a time when contemporary music had become so complex, so experimental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-beiser/post-minimalism-implies-music-that-s-genre-less-minimalism-was-very/) [Maya Beiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-beiser/) > [“The relationship of a girl and her favorite novel can be complex indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/the-relationship-of-a-girl-and-her-favorite-novel-can-be-complex/) [Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/) > [I understand that finance can be very complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-harrington/i-understand-that-finance-can-be-very-complex/) [Kevin Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-harrington/) > [“War is always more complex. Economics, history, religion all have a role, but not for the ones dodging the bullets. They just get blown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-carter/war-is-always-more-complex-economics-history-religion-all-have-a-role/) [Bill Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-carter/) > [Through all those complex years I thought I was alone. I didn't care to look around and make this world my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pantera/through-all-those-complex-years-i-thought-i-was-alone-i-didn-t-care/) [Pantera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pantera/) > [The Icesave matter is complex and it is understandable that the issue has been oversimplified by many. Unfortunately some of the basic facts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/the-icesave-matter-is-complex-and-it-is-understandable-that-the-issue/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [Evil is relative - and what I mean by that is that our villains are as complex, as deep and as compelling as any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/evil-is-relative-and-what-i-mean-by-that-is-that-our-villains-are-as/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) [Browse all 680 Complex quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. 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