--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I learned at LucasArts was, you…" description: "\"What I learned at LucasArts was, you don't make your bets on ideas: ideas are cheap. You make your bets on people.\" — Tim Schafer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/tim-schafer-18855_bets_what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don_2308810.jpg" --- # What I learned at LucasArts was, you don't make your bets… ![“What I learned at LucasArts was, you don't make your bets on ideas: ideas are cheap. You make your bets on people.” quote by Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/tim-schafer-18855_bets_what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don_2308810.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/tim-schafer-18855_bets_what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don_2308810.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/tim-schafer-18855_bets_what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don_2308810.jpg) > “What I learned at LucasArts was, you don't make your bets on ideas: ideas are cheap. You make your bets on people.” [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success depends more on the people you trust than on the ideas themselves. **In simple terms:** People matter more than ideas. Key Takeaway Invest in talented teams. Themes leadership team building risk management Mood inspirational pragmatic Type advice business When to use this quote - startup hiring - project management - creative development Key Concepts human capital trust collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate talent versus concept? - What criteria ensure a team’s reliability? A Different Perspective Ideas can be cheap and replaceable; people are scarce. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“He does not depend on insider tips, crooked referees, or other sorts of hustles to make his bets. Nor does he have a “system”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/he-does-not-depend-on-insider-tips-crooked-referees-or-other-sorts-of/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [“Right, you see that girl over there, the one in that group that keeps looking right at you?'...'Right, let's say I'm convinced she's wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/right-you-see-that-girl-over-there-the-one-in-that-group-that-keeps/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > ['Profit' in my mind is as good as television gets, and if that didn't make it, all bets are off on really predicting what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-pasdar/profit-in-my-mind-is-as-good-as-television-gets-and-if-that-didn-t/) [Adrian Pasdar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-pasdar/) > [It's easy to play it safe, but the reality is that if you want to keep changing the world for customers, which we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/it-s-easy-to-play-it-safe-but-the-reality-is-that-if-you-want-to-keep/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [Cognition requires going beyond the information given, to make bets and therefore to risk errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerd-gigerenzer/cognition-requires-going-beyond-the-information-given-to-make-bets/) [Gerd Gigerenzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerd-gigerenzer/) > [Ideas are cheap. Always be passionate about ideas and communicating those ideas and discoveries to others in the things you make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eames/ideas-are-cheap-always-be-passionate-about-ideas-and-communicating/) [Charles Eames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eames/) > [Ideas are cheap. The difficult part is finding the team to execute them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kwok/ideas-are-cheap-the-difficult-part-is-finding-the-team-to-execute-them/) [Raymond Kwok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kwok/) > [“Ideas are cheap -- making something of them is difficult”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sigismund-huff/ideas-are-cheap-making-something-of-them-is-difficult/) Anne Sigismund Huff > [Ideas are cheap and abundant; what is of value is the effective placement of those ideas into situations that develop into action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/ideas-are-cheap-and-abundant-what-is-of-value-is-the-effective/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Ideas are cheap. I have more ideas now than I could ever write up. To my mind, it's the execution that is all-important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/ideas-are-cheap-i-have-more-ideas-now-than-i-could-ever-write-up-to/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [“Ideas are cheap. Writing them into a freakin' 90k word novel is the hard part.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-ann/ideas-are-cheap-writing-them-into-a-freakin-90k-word-novel-is-the/) Ellie Ann > [Ideas are cheap. A dime a dozen, as they say. It's the implementation that's important! The trick isn't just to have a computer game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/ideas-are-cheap-a-dime-a-dozen-as-they-say-it-s-the-implementation/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Ideas are cheap and plentiful. The original pitch idea is such a small part of a business that it’s almost negligible. The real question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried/ideas-are-cheap-and-plentiful-the-original-pitch-idea-is-such-a-small/) [Jason Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried/) > [If I had to lay bets, my bet would be that everything is going to go to hell, but, you know, what else have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rorty/if-i-had-to-lay-bets-my-bet-would-be-that-everything-is-going-to-go/) [Richard Rorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rorty/) > [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) ## More by Tim Schafer > [I've now met, I would say, almost every single one of my rock idols. I feel like I should just drive off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/i-ve-now-met-i-would-say-almost-every-single-one-of-my-rock-idols-i/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [In the future, we will play games while floating naked in a tank of warm, sensory-depriving gelatin. Games will be distributed chemically, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/in-the-future-we-will-play-games-while-floating-naked-in-a-tank-of/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [Adventure games are all about details - if you happen to take this one object and use it with this other object, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/adventure-games-are-all-about-details-if-you-happen-to-take-this-one/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [I enjoy everything. I actually do listen to everything. In high school, I listened to a lot of metal and punk rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/i-enjoy-everything-i-actually-do-listen-to-everything-in-high-school/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [I think I just have an idea in my head about how big an adventure game should be, so it's hard for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/i-think-i-just-have-an-idea-in-my-head-about-how-big-an-adventure/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [The Internet has allowed a lot of access - people feel entitled to change the ending of games, for example. So there are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/the-internet-has-allowed-a-lot-of-access-people-feel-entitled-to/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [I've always hated superheroes. I cannot stand them. I love Norse mythology, but I hate superheroes. They ruined movies, then comics, and now games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/i-ve-always-hated-superheroes-i-cannot-stand-them-i-love-norse/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [When you have a programmer-founded company it often gets really techy, if you have a producer or a business-person, it all really sets the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/when-you-have-a-programmer-founded-company-it-often-gets-really-techy/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [If I had done a sequel to 'Day of the Tentacle,' there probably wouldn't have been a 'Full Throttle.' If I did a 'Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/if-i-had-done-a-sequel-to-day-of-the-tentacle-there-probably-wouldn-t/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [Publishers are very risk-averse, so they lean towards licenses and sequels. But the fact is that even those are not guaranteed hits. So, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/publishers-are-very-risk-averse-so-they-lean-towards-licenses-and/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [Kinect is such a great new entry into the field because it takes away one of the big barriers to little kids to playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/kinect-is-such-a-great-new-entry-into-the-field-because-it-takes-away/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [If you're not loyal to your team, you can get by for a while, but eventually you will need to rely on their loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/if-you-re-not-loyal-to-your-team-you-can-get-by-for-a-while-but/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [I think when you play 'Psychonauts,' you are kind of playing inside of my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/i-think-when-you-play-psychonauts-you-are-kind-of-playing-inside-of/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [After 'Psychonauts,' we could have laid off half our team so that we'd have more money and time to sign 'Brutal Legend.' But doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/after-psychonauts-we-could-have-laid-off-half-our-team-so-that-we-d/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [There was a 'magic rock' my mom would lift up, and under the rock was a bunch of bugs. Roly-poly bugs and worms. Somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/there-was-a-magic-rock-my-mom-would-lift-up-and-under-the-rock-was-a/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) [Explore all 34 Tim Schafer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) ## More Bets quotes > [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [If I had to lay bets, my bet would be that everything is going to go to hell, but, you know, what else have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rorty/if-i-had-to-lay-bets-my-bet-would-be-that-everything-is-going-to-go/) [Richard Rorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rorty/) > [When we got married, nobody gave it more than two weeks. There were bets all over the country, with astronomical odds against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desi-arnaz/when-we-got-married-nobody-gave-it-more-than-two-weeks-there-were/) [Desi Arnaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desi-arnaz/) > [This is a perverse thing, personally, but I would rather be in the cycle where people are underestimating us. It gives us latitude to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/this-is-a-perverse-thing-personally-but-i-would-rather-be-in-the/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Are you placing enough interesting, freakish, long shot, weirdo bets?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/are-you-placing-enough-interesting-freakish-long-shot-weirdo-bets/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The trading rules I live by are: 1. Cut losses. 2. Ride winners. 3. Keep bets small. 4. Follow the rules without question. 5.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-seykota/the-trading-rules-i-live-by-are-1-cut-losses-2-ride-winners-3-keep/) [Ed Seykota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-seykota/) > [I live in New York and got a call from my agent saying there was this new role on 'Mad Men,' it might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-buono/i-live-in-new-york-and-got-a-call-from-my-agent-saying-there-was-this/) [Cara Buono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-buono/) > [Mars still remains the astrobiology community's number one choice for 'nearest rock with life,' but there are many researchers who argue that the moons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/mars-still-remains-the-astrobiology-community-s-number-one-choice-for/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The one thing that I think separates Microsoft from a lot of other people is we make bold bets. We're persistent about them, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/the-one-thing-that-i-think-separates-microsoft-from-a-lot-of-other/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [I guess, what I'm saying is that when I've been this surprised by my own characters and world, all bets are off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-guess-what-i-m-saying-is-that-when-i-ve-been-this-surprised-by-my/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [It is quite amazing how hard the subconscious works when it is made to understand that this life is not a rehearsal, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burdett/it-is-quite-amazing-how-hard-the-subconscious-works-when-it-is-made/) [John Burdett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burdett/) > [“He does not depend on insider tips, crooked referees, or other sorts of hustles to make his bets. Nor does he have a “system”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/he-does-not-depend-on-insider-tips-crooked-referees-or-other-sorts-of/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [There are just four kinds of bets. There are good bets, bad bets, bets that you win, and bets that you lose. Winning a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hite/there-are-just-four-kinds-of-bets-there-are-good-bets-bad-bets-bets/) [Larry Hite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hite/) > [In investing, we intuitively think we should make a number of small bets. A blockbuster strategy is the opposite. It means making fewer huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-elberse/in-investing-we-intuitively-think-we-should-make-a-number-of-small/) [Anita Elberse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-elberse/) > [In 21st-century storytelling all bets are off: anybody can do anything. We're all storytellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/in-21st-century-storytelling-all-bets-are-off-anybody-can-do-anything/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) Browse all 71 Bets quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I learned at LucasArts was, you don't make your bets on ideas: ideas are cheap. You make your bets on people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Schafer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don-t-make-your-bets-on-ideas/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bets" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don-t-make-your-bets-on-ideas/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/tim-schafer-18855_bets_what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don_2308810.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/tim-schafer-18855_bets_what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don_2308810.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/tim-schafer-18855_bets_what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don_2308810.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I learned at LucasArts was, you don't make your bets on ideas: ideas are cheap. You make your bets on…” — Tim Schafer", "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": "Tim Schafer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What I learned at LucasArts was,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don-t-make-your-bets-on-ideas/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/what-i-learned-at-lucasarts-was-you-don-t-make-your-bets-on-ideas/#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 } } ] } ```