--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Act first! The ideas will follow, and if…" description: "\"Act first! The ideas will follow, and if not - well, it's progress\" — Tom Stoppard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_act-first-the-ideas-will-follow-and-if-n_1912424.png" --- # Act first! The ideas will follow, and if not - well, it's… ![“Act first! The ideas will follow, and if not - well, it's progress” quote by Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_act-first-the-ideas-will-follow-and-if-n_1912424.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_act-first-the-ideas-will-follow-and-if-n_1912424.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_act-first-the-ideas-will-follow-and-if-n_1912424.png) > “Act first! The ideas will follow, and if not - well, it's progress” [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting initiates creativity; action creates ideas, and even failure signals forward movement. **In simple terms:** Act first, ideas come later. Key Takeaway Take action, even without certainty. Themes creativity action progress Mood energized optimistic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - starting projects - brainstorming sessions - overcoming creative blocks - team collaborations Key Concepts psychology initiative learning by doing Questions to Reflect On - What small action could spark your next idea? - How do you measure progress when outcomes are uncertain? A Different Perspective If you act without clear ideas, you may waste effort or misdirect resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-ideas-473548/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow/) [Follow Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-progress-2888117/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-follow-533294/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Seek the opportunity to act on your ideas and dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-arthur-porter/seek-the-opportunity-to-act-on-your-ideas-and-dreams/) [W. Arthur Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-arthur-porter/) > [Your part in the co-creation process to attract more money in your life is to act on the ideas that are coming to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-vitale/your-part-in-the-co-creation-process-to-attract-more-money-in-your/) [Joe Vitale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-vitale/) > [“Your ideas have legs and just as they run through your head, they could be running through someone else's head and it's just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/your-ideas-have-legs-and-just-as-they-run-through-your-head-they/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [I have great ideas, but the follow through is always really difficult for me. As my kid gets a little bit older, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/busy-philipps/i-have-great-ideas-but-the-follow-through-is-always-really-difficult/) [Busy Philipps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/busy-philipps/) > [“As soon as things get difficult, I walk away. That’s the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-soon-as-things-get-difficult-i-walk-away-that-s-the-great-secret/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [With every song, all the elements have to work. First, the beat has to be great - you start there. 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When they're off-guard, and ready to be born, I'll turn around and grab them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-ideas-will-follow-me-when-they-re-off-guard-and-ready-to-be-born/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Capitalism historically has been a very dynamic force, and behind that force is technical progress, innovation, new ideas, new products, new technologies, and new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/capitalism-historically-has-been-a-very-dynamic-force-and-behind-that/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. 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If the writing is in TV or if it's in theater or in film, that's it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/my-only-close-to-game-plan-is-to-follow-good-writing-if-the-writing/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) ## More by Tom Stoppard > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [After all these years, I definitely associate having a pen in my hand with having an ashtray just out of eye line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/after-all-these-years-i-definitely-associate-having-a-pen-in-my-hand/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [The universe is deterministic all right, just like Newton said, I mean it's trying to be, but the only thing going wrong is people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-universe-is-deterministic-all-right-just-like-newton-said-i-mean/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For me, human rights simply endorse a view of life and a set of moral values that are perfectly clear to an eight-year-old child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-me-human-rights-simply-endorse-a-view-of-life-and-a-set-of-moral/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“What is an artist? For every thousand people there's nine hundred doing the work, ninety doing well, nine doing good, and one lucky bastard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-is-an-artist-for-every-thousand-people-there-s-nine-hundred/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/dying-is-not-romantic-and-death-is-not-a-game-which-will-soon-be-over/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I'm not interested in clothes; I just like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-not-interested-in-clothes-i-just-like-them/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For 10 years of my life, 3 times a day, I thanked the Lord for what I was about to receive and thanked him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-10-years-of-my-life-3-times-a-day-i-thanked-the-lord-for-what-i/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [No matter how imperfect things are, if you've got a free press everything is correctable, and without it everything is concealable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/no-matter-how-imperfect-things-are-if-you-ve-got-a-free-press/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [We must be born with an intuition of mortality. Before we know the word for it. Before we know that there are words. Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/we-must-be-born-with-an-intuition-of-mortality-before-we-know-the/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Eternity's a terrible thought. 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I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [You sort of can't talk about the post production unless you talk about what comes first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-greengrass/you-sort-of-can-t-talk-about-the-post-production-unless-you-talk/) [Paul Greengrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-greengrass/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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