--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was able to get to this much more…" description: "\"“I was able to get to this much more specific point in a minute or two just by asking some of the right questions. Also, notice that I asked each quest..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/victor-cheng-3306_answer_i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-spec_409367.jpg" --- # I was able to get to this much more specific point in a… ![“I was able to get to this much more specific point in a minute or two just by asking some of the right questions. Also, notice that I asked each question for a specific reason. Some candidates, unfortunately, ask dozens of questions without a concrete objective in mind.)” quote by Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/victor-cheng-3306_answer_i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-spec_409367.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/victor-cheng-3306_answer_i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-spec_409367.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/victor-cheng-3306_answer_i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-spec_409367.jpg) > ““I was able to get to this much more specific point in a minute or two just by asking some of the right questions. Also, notice that I asked each question for a specific reason. Some candidates, unfortunately, ask dozens of questions without a concrete objective in mind.)”” [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective questioning narrows focus and yields precise insights quickly, while aimless questioning wastes time. **In simple terms:** Ask focused questions to get clear answers fast. Key Takeaway Use purposeful questions. avoid random queries. Themes communication strategy efficiency Mood focused analytical Type advice instructional When to use this quote - consulting interviews - problem solving - team meetings - research sessions Key Concepts critical thinking goal-oriented inquiry Questions to Reflect On - What objective does each question serve? - How can you prioritize questions for impact? A Different Perspective Random questioning can miss the point and cause confusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) [Ask Dozens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-dozens-3653777/) [Dozens Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozens-questions-3653775/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Question Specific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-specific-3653774/) [Reason Candidates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-candidates-3653776/) [Right questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-questions/) ## Related quotes > [When Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg was before us in 1993, she said that her standard was to give no hints, no forecasts, no previews,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/when-judge-ruth-bader-ginsburg-was-before-us-in-1993-she-said-that/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) > [“When a person asks how he can improve his memory, he cannot expect a useful answer until he makes his question more specific. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-l-higbee/when-a-person-asks-how-he-can-improve-his-memory-he-cannot-expect-a/) [Kenneth L. Higbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-l-higbee/) > [“The important thing is not to know all the answers but to know the right questions to ask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-swabey/the-important-thing-is-not-to-know-all-the-answers-but-to-know-the/) [Brett Swabey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-swabey/) > [Someone has to ask you a question," George continues meaningly, "before you can answer it. But it's so seldom you find anyone who'll ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/someone-has-to-ask-you-a-question-george-continues-meaningly-before/) [Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/) > [Ask the right questions if you're going to find the right answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-redgrave/ask-the-right-questions-if-you-re-going-to-find-the-right-answers/) [Vanessa Redgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-redgrave/) > [Ask the right questions if you're to find the right answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-redgrave/ask-the-right-questions-if-you-re-to-find-the-right-answers/) [Vanessa Redgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-redgrave/) > [One of the fastest ways to find the solution to an issue or challenge you are facing is to ask the right questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/one-of-the-fastest-ways-to-find-the-solution-to-an-issue-or-challenge/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [“Run from those with all the answers and gravitate toward those with the right questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/father-earnest-flusche/run-from-those-with-all-the-answers-and-gravitate-toward-those-with/) [Father Earnest Flusche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/father-earnest-flusche/) > [The right question is usually more important than the right answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-right-question-is-usually-more-important-than-the-right-answer/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [One of the things that Ivar knew about Mrs. Walker was that she would only tell him what she knew if he asked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/one-of-the-things-that-ivar-knew-about-mrs-walker-was-that-she-would/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [Most people believe that great leaders are distinguished by their ability to give compelling answers. This profound book shatters that assumption, showing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/most-people-believe-that-great-leaders-are-distinguished-by-their/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [Any leader who asks the right questions of the right people has the potential to discover and develop great ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/any-leader-who-asks-the-right-questions-of-the-right-people-has-the/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [The history of science knows scores of instances where an investigator was in the possession of all the important facts for a new theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mayr/the-history-of-science-knows-scores-of-instances-where-an/) [Ernst Mayr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mayr/) > [The wrong question to ask of a myth is whether it is true or false. The right question is whether it is living or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/the-wrong-question-to-ask-of-a-myth-is-whether-it-is-true-or-false/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [The most successful scientists in the history of the world are those who posed the right questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-most-successful-scientists-in-the-history-of-the-world-are-those/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More by Victor Cheng > [“If there isn’t any obvious segmentation pattern, avoid stating the segmentation pattern you want to see. Instead, phrase your question such that the interviewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/if-there-isn-t-any-obvious-segmentation-pattern-avoid-stating-the/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“Consultants use four tools to solve clients’ biggest problems. You can use the exact same tools to tackle any type of case interview: Hypothesis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/consultants-use-four-tools-to-solve-clients-biggest-problems-you-can/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“You will do one of two things as soon as you’ve exhausted what you can determine mathematically in the case: (1) Refine your hypothesis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/you-will-do-one-of-two-things-as-soon-as-you-ve-exhausted-what-you/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“(In practice, most consultants will try up to 20 segmentation patterns and discover the most insightful one only through trial and error.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/in-practice-most-consultants-will-try-up-to-20-segmentation-patterns/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“the rest of the industry is experiencing some kind of growth—either more accounts or more billings per account. Is comparable data for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/the-rest-of-the-industry-is-experiencing-some-kind-of-growth-either/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“Nothing you said in your synthesis supported your point on unwinding Program B. You need to say, “After the short-term crisis has passed, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/nothing-you-said-in-your-synthesis-supported-your-point-on-unwinding/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“The rest of the industry appears to have grown sales by 10 percent, with profits growing proportionally. This indicates that the industry-wide profit margin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/the-rest-of-the-industry-appears-to-have-grown-sales-by-10-percent/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“The Mergers and Acquisitions Framework You might use the mergers and acquisitions framework to address cases in which one company wants to acquire or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/the-mergers-and-acquisitions-framework-you-might-use-the-mergers-and/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“This structure synthesizes what you know, indicates what else you need to know, and lays out your plan to address those remaining issues. Use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/this-structure-synthesizes-what-you-know-indicates-what-else-you-need/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“the consultant’s process was the exact process consulting firms value. It was linear, logical, and based on facts (and reasonable estimates of them); it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/the-consultant-s-process-was-the-exact-process-consulting-firms-value/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“In consulting, you always pick and choose your words carefully, because you need to be able to back up anything you say. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/in-consulting-you-always-pick-and-choose-your-words-carefully-because/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“The framework consists of four key components. I draw this framework as four distinct boxes, but you could quite easily redraw it as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/the-framework-consists-of-four-key-components-i-draw-this-framework/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“The balanced candidate would instead numerically measure what percentage of the total decline in profits is attributable to the decline in sales versus the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/the-balanced-candidate-would-instead-numerically-measure-what/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“At this point, it makes sense to switch to the business situation framework to understand qualitatively why sales volume in China has dropped so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/at-this-point-it-makes-sense-to-switch-to-the-business-situation/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“How Is It Packaged? Packaging refers to what products and services are sold together. For example, years ago McDonald’s noticed that many customers ordered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/how-is-it-packaged-packaging-refers-to-what-products-and-services-are/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) [Explore all 134 Victor Cheng quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) ## More Answer quotes > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [“And if you can’t say yes, answer anyway. Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/) [Jon Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ellis/) > [“There is a cure and answer to everything, we just haven't found them yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-halimi/there-is-a-cure-and-answer-to-everything-we-just-haven-t-found-them/) [Eve Halimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-halimi/) > [Whenever I'm asked about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I always answer: 'Neymar is the best,' not just because of his goals but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/whenever-i-m-asked-about-cristiano-ronaldo-or-lionel-messi-i-always/) [Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [“Those are good questions. I recognize good questions, because I can come up with them myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/those-are-good-questions-i-recognize-good-questions-because-i-can/) [Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'll answer anything... I'm brutally honest, actually, which gets me in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-ll-answer-anything-i-m-brutally-honest-actually-which-gets-me-in/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Jumping someone is never the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jumping-someone-is-never-the-answer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I play along myself, even though I can't help the player. So I can't say what I think the answer might be. But I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-mcguinness/i-play-along-myself-even-though-i-can-t-help-the-player-so-i-can-t/) [Paddy McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-mcguinness/) > [Sometimes the question is complicated, but the answers are simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-suess/sometimes-the-question-is-complicated-but-the-answers-are-simple/) [Dr Suess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-suess/) [Browse all 2,090 Answer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was able to get to this much more specific point in a minute or two just by asking some of the right questions. Also, notice that I asked each question for a specific reason. Some candidates, unfortunately, ask dozens of questions without a concrete objective in mind.)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Victor Cheng" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-specific-point-in-a-minute-or-two/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-specific-point-in-a-minute-or-two/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/victor-cheng-3306_answer_i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-spec_409367.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/victor-cheng-3306_answer_i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-spec_409367.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/victor-cheng-3306_answer_i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-spec_409367.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was able to get to this much more specific point in a minute or two just by asking some of the right…” — Victor Cheng", "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": "Victor Cheng", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I was able to get to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-specific-point-in-a-minute-or-two/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/i-was-able-to-get-to-this-much-more-specific-point-in-a-minute-or-two/#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 } } ] } ```