--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Above all, think of life as a prototype…" description: "\"Above all, think of life as a prototype. We can conduct experiments, make discoveries, and change our perspectives. We can look for opportunities to tu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/tim-brown-13359_creativity_above-all-think-of-life-as-a-prototype-w_2150451.jpg" --- # Above all, think of life as a prototype. We can conduct… ![“Above all, think of life as a prototype. We can conduct experiments, make discoveries, and change our perspectives. We can look for opportunities to turn processes into projects that have tangible outcomes. We can learn how to take joy in the things we create whether they take the form of a…” quote by Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/tim-brown-13359_creativity_above-all-think-of-life-as-a-prototype-w_2150451.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/tim-brown-13359_creativity_above-all-think-of-life-as-a-prototype-w_2150451.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/tim-brown-13359_creativity_above-all-think-of-life-as-a-prototype-w_2150451.jpg) > “Above all, think of life as a prototype. We can conduct experiments, make discoveries, and change our perspectives. We can look for opportunities to turn processes into projects that have tangible outcomes. We can learn how to take joy in the things we create whether they take the form of a fleeting experience or an heirloom that will last for generations.” [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is a series of experiments; treat actions as prototypes to learn, adapt, and create lasting value. **In simple terms:** Treat life like a prototype. Key Takeaway Experiment, learn, and create value. Themes innovation learning creativity Mood inspirational practical Type motivational design When to use this quote - product development - personal growth - education - entrepreneurship Key Concepts prototype experimentation design thinking Questions to Reflect On - What prototype will you build today? - How do you measure success? A Different Perspective Risk of endless iteration without completion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Fleeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleeting/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Heirlooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heirlooms/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Prototype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-prototype-4519378/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Make Discoveries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-discoveries-276791/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Outcomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcomes/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Projects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projects/) [Prototype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prototype/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Tangible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tangible/) [Things Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-create-513889/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-life/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) ## Related quotes > [“There are many approaches to prototyping, but they share a single, paradoxical feature: They slow us down to speed us up. By taking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/there-are-many-approaches-to-prototyping-but-they-share-a-single/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [Don't be satisfied by the way things are; create changes to make things the way you wish them to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/don-t-be-satisfied-by-the-way-things-are-create-changes-to-make/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [What I love about making movies is that it's a collaboration. It's one of the most rewarding things, to create something and have someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-swank/what-i-love-about-making-movies-is-that-it-s-a-collaboration-it-s-one/) [Hilary Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-swank/) > [I don't think words always lead to meaning, but the things you can create with them are still pretty amazing. I've been really into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/i-don-t-think-words-always-lead-to-meaning-but-the-things-you-can/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [Things you create with your mind are always part of your postmortal life, whether they seem real or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-bender/things-you-create-with-your-mind-are-always-part-of-your-postmortal/) [Hans Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-bender/) > [There are so many different things that create an alchemy of success. Just like there are so many different things that create an alchemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/there-are-so-many-different-things-that-create-an-alchemy-of-success/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [A bad act done will fester and create in its own way. It's not only goodness that creates. Bad things create. They have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/a-bad-act-done-will-fester-and-create-in-its-own-way-it-s-not-only/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [It's incredibly exciting to know people are using and living with the things I create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lynn/it-s-incredibly-exciting-to-know-people-are-using-and-living-with-the/) [Greg Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lynn/) > [When you can put your whole body into things, you can create so much power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameis-winston/when-you-can-put-your-whole-body-into-things-you-can-create-so-much/) [Jameis Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameis-winston/) > [You're basically the sum of all the experiences you've ever had, and they're sort of shaken up in you and reproduced in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/you-re-basically-the-sum-of-all-the-experiences-you-ve-ever-had-and/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) > [Every job that you have might not be the perfect job, but you really take away different things, and you create relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/every-job-that-you-have-might-not-be-the-perfect-job-but-you-really/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [In the end, as a leader, you are always going to get a combination of two things: what you create and what you allow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/in-the-end-as-a-leader-you-are-always-going-to-get-a-combination-of/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [One of the hardest things is to create hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-lapid/one-of-the-hardest-things-is-to-create-hope/) [Yair Lapid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-lapid/) > [It's as if when I open myself up to every perception, things create their own focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/it-s-as-if-when-i-open-myself-up-to-every-perception-things-create/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [Don't just consume things, create things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/don-t-just-consume-things-create-things/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Tim Brown > [“The natural evolution from design doing to design thinking reflects the growing recognition on the part of today’s business leaders that design has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-natural-evolution-from-design-doing-to-design-thinking-reflects/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“Jim Hackett, the CEO of Steelcase, is one of a small number of enlightened business leaders who understand that a steady flow of innovative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/jim-hackett-the-ceo-of-steelcase-is-one-of-a-small-number-of/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [For me certainly Earl Campbell and Tony Dorsett come to mind, and Roger Staubach. I've grown up here in Dallas watching Roger and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/for-me-certainly-earl-campbell-and-tony-dorsett-come-to-mind-and/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [We can learn that reward comes in creation and re-creation, no just in the consumption of the world around us. Active participation in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/we-can-learn-that-reward-comes-in-creation-and-re-creation-no-just-in/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“Linear thinking is about sequences; mind maps are about connections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/linear-thinking-is-about-sequences-mind-maps-are-about-connections/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“An organization that commits itself to the human-centered tenets of design thinking is practicing enlightened self-interest. If it does a better job of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/an-organization-that-commits-itself-to-the-human-centered-tenets-of/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“Empathy is the mental habit that moves us beyond thinking of people as laboratory rats or standard deviations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/empathy-is-the-mental-habit-that-moves-us-beyond-thinking-of-people/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“For design thinkers, however, behaviors are never right or wrong, but they are always meaningful. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/for-design-thinkers-however-behaviors-are-never-right-or-wrong-but/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“we learned that a story needs to be repeated many times before people understand how it applies to them and many more times again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/we-learned-that-a-story-needs-to-be-repeated-many-times-before-people/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [Thinking like a designer can transform the way you develop products services, processes and even strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/thinking-like-a-designer-can-transform-the-way-you-develop-products/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [Most business processes are about making choices from a set of existing alternatives. Clearly, if all your competition is doing the same, then differentiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/most-business-processes-are-about-making-choices-from-a-set-of/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“The mission of design thinking is to translate observations into insights and insights into products and services that will improve lives. Empathy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-mission-of-design-thinking-is-to-translate-observations-into/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“Convergent thinking is a practical way of deciding among existing alternatives. What convergent thinking is not so good at, however, is probing the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/convergent-thinking-is-a-practical-way-of-deciding-among-existing/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“the experience blueprint takes the form of a physical document that guides the building of an experience. Unlike a prepared script or an operations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-experience-blueprint-takes-the-form-of-a-physical-document-that/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [“I argued that exploring the world with our hands, testing out ideas by building them, role playing, and countless other activities are all natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/i-argued-that-exploring-the-world-with-our-hands-testing-out-ideas-by/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) [Explore all 50 Tim Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [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/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Above all, think of life as a prototype. We can conduct experiments, make discoveries, and change our perspectives. We can look for opportunities to turn processes into projects that have tangible outcomes. 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