--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A powerful new idea can kick around…" description: "\"A powerful new idea can kick around unused in a company for years, not because its merits are not recognized, but because nobody has assumed the respon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/245/theodore-levitt-18792_action_a-powerful-new-idea-can-kick-around-unus_1132087.jpg" --- # A powerful new idea can kick around unused in a company… ![“A powerful new idea can kick around unused in a company for years, not because its merits are not recognized, but because nobody has assumed the responsibility for converting it from words into action.” quote by Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/245/theodore-levitt-18792_action_a-powerful-new-idea-can-kick-around-unus_1132087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/245/theodore-levitt-18792_action_a-powerful-new-idea-can-kick-around-unus_1132087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/245/theodore-levitt-18792_action_a-powerful-new-idea-can-kick-around-unus_1132087.jpg) > “A powerful new idea can kick around unused in a company for years, not because its merits are not recognized, but because nobody has assumed the responsibility for converting it from words into action.” [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas often stay idle because no one takes ownership to implement them, not due to lack of merit. **In simple terms:** Ideas need a champion to become actions. Key Takeaway Assign responsibility to move ideas forward. Themes innovation responsibility execution Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - product development - corporate strategy - team meetings - innovation workshops Key Concepts ownership change management implementation Questions to Reflect On - Who can you empower to drive this idea? - What barriers prevent taking ownership? A Different Perspective Without a clear owner, ideas can be forgotten despite their value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Kicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kicks/) [New idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-idea/) [New ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-ideas/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Unused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unused/) ## Related quotes > [If there's a new idea, a new invention, or a new gas, or a new whatever you know, It should be brought at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/if-there-s-a-new-idea-a-new-invention-or-a-new-gas-or-a-new-whatever/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [Don't see yourself as a product of your parents DNA, but rather as a brand new idea from heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/don-t-see-yourself-as-a-product-of-your-parents-dna-but-rather-as-a/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [In the 18th century, people began to adopt the radical new idea that love should be the most fundamental reason for marriage and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jardine-libaire/in-the-18th-century-people-began-to-adopt-the-radical-new-idea-that/) [Jardine Libaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jardine-libaire/) > [Everyone agrees in theory that we can't judge a new idea or point of view unless we enter into it and try it out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-elbow/everyone-agrees-in-theory-that-we-can-t-judge-a-new-idea-or-point-of/) [Peter Elbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-elbow/) > [It takes courage to be creative. Just as soon as you have a new idea, you are in a minority of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellis-paul-torrance/it-takes-courage-to-be-creative-just-as-soon-as-you-have-a-new-idea/) [Ellis Paul Torrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellis-paul-torrance/) > [If you ever have a new idea, and it's really new, you have to expect that it won't be widely accepted immediately. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalyn-sussman-yalow/if-you-ever-have-a-new-idea-and-it-s-really-new-you-have-to-expect/) [Rosalyn Sussman Yalow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalyn-sussman-yalow/) > [There is no such thing as a new idea. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-new-idea-we-simply-take-a-lot-of-old/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A new idea is obsolete in seconds, right? I just said it and now it's obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/a-new-idea-is-obsolete-in-seconds-right-i-just-said-it-and-now-it-s/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [Every time a man puts a new idea across, he faces a dozen men who thought of it before he did. But they only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-arnold/every-time-a-man-puts-a-new-idea-across-he-faces-a-dozen-men-who/) [Oren Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-arnold/) > [Creativity is a by-product of hard work. If I never have another really new idea, it won't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/creativity-is-a-by-product-of-hard-work-if-i-never-have-another/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [The World requires at least ten years to understand a new idea, however important or simple it may be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-ross/the-world-requires-at-least-ten-years-to-understand-a-new-idea/) [Ronald Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-ross/) > [The fact is that one new idea leads to another, that to a third and so on through a course of time, until someone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-fact-is-that-one-new-idea-leads-to-another-that-to-a-third-and-so/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Sometimes an old idea gets relegated to the back of the line in the mad delight of a new idea, one you've never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/sometimes-an-old-idea-gets-relegated-to-the-back-of-the-line-in-the/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Most new discoveries are suddenly-seen things that were always there. A new idea is a light that illuminates presences which simply had no form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-katherina-langer/most-new-discoveries-are-suddenly-seen-things-that-were-always-there/) [Susanne Katherina Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-katherina-langer/) > [The greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-greatest-pain-is-the-pain-of-a-new-idea/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Theodore Levitt > [Ideation is not a synonym for innovation, conformity is not its simple antonym, and innovation is not the automatic consequence of "creative thinking.".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/ideation-is-not-a-synonym-for-innovation-conformity-is-not-its-simple/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [The true purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer, not to make you money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/the-true-purpose-of-a-business-is-to-create-and-keep-a-customer-not/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [An industry begins with the customer and his or her needs, not with a patent, a raw material, or a selling skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/an-industry-begins-with-the-customer-and-his-or-her-needs-not-with-a/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [A consistently highly creative person is generally irresponsible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/a-consistently-highly-creative-person-is-generally-irresponsible/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [A powerful force drives the world toward a converging commonality, and that force is technology. … Almost everyone everywhere wants all the things they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/a-powerful-force-drives-the-world-toward-a-converging-commonality-and/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [People don't want quarter-inch drills. They want quarter-inch holes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/people-don-t-want-quarter-inch-drills-they-want-quarter-inch-holes/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [Organizations, by their very nature are designed to promote order and routine. They are inhospitable environments for innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/organizations-by-their-very-nature-are-designed-to-promote-order-and/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [The purpose of a business is to get and keep a customer. Without customers, no amount of engineering wizardry, clever financing, or operations expertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/the-purpose-of-a-business-is-to-get-and-keep-a-customer-without/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [Experience comes from what we have done. Wisdom comes from what we have done badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/experience-comes-from-what-we-have-done-wisdom-comes-from-what-we/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/creativity-is-thinking-up-new-things-innovation-is-doing-new-things/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [A product is not a product unless it sells. Otherwise it is merely a museum piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/a-product-is-not-a-product-unless-it-sells-otherwise-it-is-merely-a/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [Ideas are useless unless used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/ideas-are-useless-unless-used/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [Organizations exist to enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/organizations-exist-to-enable-ordinary-people-to-do-extraordinary/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [Selling concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting people to exchange their cash for your product. It is not concerned with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/selling-concerns-itself-with-the-tricks-and-techniques-of-getting/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [What is often lacking is not creativity in the idea-creating sense but innovation in the action-producing sense, i.e. putting ideas to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/what-is-often-lacking-is-not-creativity-in-the-idea-creating-sense/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) [Explore all 34 Theodore Levitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. 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If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! 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