--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The greatest difficulty in the world is…" description: "\"The greatest difficulty in the world is not for people to accept new ideas, but to make them forget old ideas.\" — Tom Peters" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/tom-peters-967_accepting_the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is_670345.png" --- # The greatest difficulty in the world is not for people to… ![“The greatest difficulty in the world is not for people to accept new ideas, but to make them forget old ideas.” quote by Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/tom-peters-967_accepting_the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is_670345.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/tom-peters-967_accepting_the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is_670345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/tom-peters-967_accepting_the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is_670345.png) > “The greatest difficulty in the world is not for people to accept new ideas, but to make them forget old ideas.” [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The real challenge is not convincing people of new ideas but erasing old, entrenched beliefs. **In simple terms:** Hard to forget old ideas, not to accept new ones. Key Takeaway Focus on changing mindsets. Themes change ideas memory innovation resistance Mood thoughtful strategic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - marketing campaigns - organizational change - education reform - policy making Key Concepts cognitive bias cultural inertia learning theory Questions to Reflect On - How can we help people let go of outdated beliefs? - What strategies effectively replace old habits? A Different Perspective Old ideas are deeply rooted and hard to erase. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [New ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-ideas/) [Old ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Change is not so much about being the first one to embrace a new idea, but being the first to forget an old one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/change-is-not-so-much-about-being-the-first-one-to-embrace-a-new-idea/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Same mind with same old ideas enters the same old year; only the new mind with new ideas enters the New Year!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/same-mind-with-same-old-ideas-enters-the-same-old-year-only-the-new/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [It's not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/it-s-not-that-we-need-new-ideas-but-we-need-to-stop-having-old-ideas/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Its not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/its-not-that-we-need-new-ideas-but-we-need-to-stop-having-old-ideas/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A genuine invention in the realm of ideas must first emerge as an abstruse and even partial concept? At first blusha new idea appearstobe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/a-genuine-invention-in-the-realm-of-ideas-must-first-emerge-as-an/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [Don't be afraid of new ideas. Be afraid of old ideas. They keep you where you are and stop you from growing and moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/don-t-be-afraid-of-new-ideas-be-afraid-of-old-ideas-they-keep-you/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-difficulty-lies-not-in-the-new-ideas-but-in-escaping-from-the-old/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [We don't need men with new ideas as much as we need men who will put energy behind the old ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/we-don-t-need-men-with-new-ideas-as-much-as-we-need-men-who-will-put/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [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/) > [“The history of education is a seemingly endless parade of “new ideas” that are actually old ideas renamed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/the-history-of-education-is-a-seemingly-endless-parade-of-new-ideas/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [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/) > [Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them… for really new ideas of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/cities-need-old-buildings-so-badly-it-is-probably-impossible-for/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [Make new friends but dont forget your old because new is silver and old is gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-new-friends-but-dont-forget-your-old-because-new-is-silver-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As we have seen, so many of the things we once took for granted have proved unreliable that we may have to “forget” old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/as-we-have-seen-so-many-of-the-things-we-once-took-for-granted-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“Anyone who believes that new benefits make men of high station forget old injuries deceives himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/anyone-who-believes-that-new-benefits-make-men-of-high-station-forget/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) ## More by Tom Peters > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Remember my mantra: distinct... or extinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/remember-my-mantra-distinct-or-extinct/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [A good collection is more than just the sum of its parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/a-good-collection-is-more-than-just-the-sum-of-its-parts/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I don't know what it means to manage the human imagination, but I do know that imagination is the main source of value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/i-don-t-know-what-it-means-to-manage-the-human-imagination-but-i-do/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire disrespectful people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-disrespectful-people/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire for attitude. Train for skill... More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-for-attitude-train-for-skill-more/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Think about the market, think about the design, and think about who is going to design for that market. Hit the mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/think-about-the-market-think-about-the-design-and-think-about-who-is/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“The “Excellence Standard” is not about Grand Outcomes. In Zenlike terms, all we have is today. If the day’s work cannot be assessed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-excellence-standard-is-not-about-grand-outcomes-in-zenlike-terms/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The day firing becomes easy is the day to fire yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-day-firing-becomes-easy-is-the-day-to-fire-yourself/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Only pissed-off people change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/only-pissed-off-people-change-the-world/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [What you decide not to do is probably more important that what you decide to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/what-you-decide-not-to-do-is-probably-more-important-that-what-you/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) [Explore all 316 Tom Peters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The greatest difficulty in the world is not for people to accept new ideas, but to make them forget old ideas.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Peters" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is-not-for-people-to-accept-new/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accepting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is-not-for-people-to-accept-new/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/tom-peters-967_accepting_the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is_670345.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/tom-peters-967_accepting_the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is_670345.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/tom-peters-967_accepting_the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is_670345.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The greatest difficulty in the world is not for people to accept new ideas, but to make them forget old ideas.” — Tom Peters", "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": "Tom Peters", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The greatest difficulty in the world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is-not-for-people-to-accept-new/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-greatest-difficulty-in-the-world-is-not-for-people-to-accept-new/#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 } } ] } ```