--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big minds have big ideas. Small minds use…" description: "\"Big minds have big ideas. Small minds use big ideas to justify bad ideas.\" — Walter Darby Bannard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/walter-darby-bannard-6715_bad-idea_big-minds-have-big-ideas-small-minds-use_542294.png" --- # Big minds have big ideas. Small minds use big ideas to… ![“Big minds have big ideas. Small minds use big ideas to justify bad ideas.” quote by Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/walter-darby-bannard-6715_bad-idea_big-minds-have-big-ideas-small-minds-use_542294.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/walter-darby-bannard-6715_bad-idea_big-minds-have-big-ideas-small-minds-use_542294.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/walter-darby-bannard-6715_bad-idea_big-minds-have-big-ideas-small-minds-use_542294.png) > “Big minds have big ideas. Small minds use big ideas to justify bad ideas.” [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Big thinkers generate ambitious concepts; narrow thinkers co-opt them to defend poor ideas. **In simple terms:** Great ideas can be misused by limited thinking. Key Takeaway Guard ideas from distortion. Themes creativity ethics intellectual honesty power dynamics Mood cautious critical reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political discourse - business strategy - media commentary - education - art criticism Key Concepts cognitive bias moral reasoning Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure ideas remain true to their purpose? - What safeguards protect intellectual integrity? A Different Perspective Ideas can be twisted to serve ulterior motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-idea/) [Bad ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-ideas/) [Big idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-idea/) [Big ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-ideas/) [Big Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-minds-1779868/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Justify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-justify-4531074/) [Justify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Minds Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minds-big-1764375/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Small minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-minds/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [Small people with big minds and big people with small minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/small-people-with-big-minds-and-big-people-with-small-minds/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's not that you make up your ideas to justify your temperament but that it's the temperament first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/it-s-not-that-you-make-up-your-ideas-to-justify-your-temperament-but/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Our minds are big enough to contemplate the cosmos but small enough to care about who wins an Oscar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/our-minds-are-big-enough-to-contemplate-the-cosmos-but-small-enough/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [Anything big enough to occupy our minds is big enough to hang a prayer on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/anything-big-enough-to-occupy-our-minds-is-big-enough-to-hang-a/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [I think of myself as a bad writer with big ideas, but I'd rather be that than a big writer with bad ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moorcock/i-think-of-myself-as-a-bad-writer-with-big-ideas-but-i-d-rather-be/) [Michael Moorcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moorcock/) > [The women all had big minds because they were big animals, but they didn't use them for this reason: unusual ideas could make enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-women-all-had-big-minds-because-they-were-big-animals-but-they/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Big hearts but big minds no job is too hard or too big for little ones like this:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-johnson/big-hearts-but-big-minds-no-job-is-too-hard-or-too-big-for-little/) [Natalya Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-johnson/) > [When someone judges you, ignore them. Little minds could never understand what goes on in big minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/when-someone-judges-you-ignore-them-little-minds-could-never/) [Isaiah Harden (Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-harden-me/) > [Microsoft is a big intellectual roach motel. All the big minds go in, and they don't come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-saffo/microsoft-is-a-big-intellectual-roach-motel-all-the-big-minds-go-in/) [Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-saffo/) > [“Little minds instinctively seek to circumscribe the things around them, to pull in the walls to the size of their own small existence, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amatu-l-bah-r-h-yyih-khanum/little-minds-instinctively-seek-to-circumscribe-the-things-around/) [Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amatu-l-bah-r-h-yyih-khanum/) > [Dont let small minds persuade you that your dreams are too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-let-small-minds-persuade-you-that-your-dreams-are-too-big/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Small minds blame others for their misery. Maturity comes when we take ownership of our own destiny and take responsibility for our own happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/small-minds-blame-others-for-their-misery-maturity-comes-when-we-take/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [Don't let small minded people dictate how you should look and be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-molko/don-t-let-small-minded-people-dictate-how-you-should-look-and-be-free/) [Brian Molko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-molko/) > [Small minds just like light winds can never create giant waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/small-minds-just-like-light-winds-can-never-create-giant-waves/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Things aren't what they used to be' is the rallying cry of small minds. When men say things used to be better, they invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/things-aren-t-what-they-used-to-be-is-the-rallying-cry-of-small-minds/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) ## More by Walter Darby Bannard > [The more freedom artists have to do what they want to do, the more they do what other artists are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/the-more-freedom-artists-have-to-do-what-they-want-to-do-the-more/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [There are too many artists, too many dealers and too much art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/there-are-too-many-artists-too-many-dealers-and-too-much-art/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Start a painting with fresh ideas, and then let the painting replace your ideas with its ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/start-a-painting-with-fresh-ideas-and-then-let-the-painting-replace/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [The struggle to be original hates conformity, but the struggle to be better disregards it, or takes advantage of it to build workable conventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/the-struggle-to-be-original-hates-conformity-but-the-struggle-to-be/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [There is no best way to make art, but there are a lot of better ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/there-is-no-best-way-to-make-art-but-there-are-a-lot-of-better-ways/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Of course I will look at anything, but I have not got the time or the patience to keep on looking at art that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/of-course-i-will-look-at-anything-but-i-have-not-got-the-time-or-the/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Too much freedom inhibits choice. Constructive narrowness clarifies choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/too-much-freedom-inhibits-choice-constructive-narrowness-clarifies/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Talent is like a seed which needs fertile soil. There is no less talent now, there is less fertile soil to nourish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/talent-is-like-a-seed-which-needs-fertile-soil-there-is-no-less/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Live to paint, don't paint to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/live-to-paint-don-t-paint-to-live/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Good new art may not look like art. Inspiration doesn't follow style, it creates it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/good-new-art-may-not-look-like-art-inspiration-doesn-t-follow-style/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [There is no regional art. The only region left is the art magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/there-is-no-regional-art-the-only-region-left-is-the-art-magazine/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [There's a big difference between grabbing attention and rewarding attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/there-s-a-big-difference-between-grabbing-attention-and-rewarding/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Part of history is facts. The other part is what we find easier to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/part-of-history-is-facts-the-other-part-is-what-we-find-easier-to/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [When good ideas get put to bad use, it is the fault of the user, not the idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/when-good-ideas-get-put-to-bad-use-it-is-the-fault-of-the-user-not/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [The power of art is not in communication but effect; what it does, not what it relates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/the-power-of-art-is-not-in-communication-but-effect-what-it-does-not/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) [Explore all 98 Walter Darby Bannard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) ## More Bad idea quotes > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [By the time I was seventeen, I was on my way to Hollywood and didn't look back. My family is supportive now, but like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/by-the-time-i-was-seventeen-i-was-on-my-way-to-hollywood-and-didn-t/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [One thing I know is that it is a bad idea to marry someone who had bad parents. If they hated their mother, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/one-thing-i-know-is-that-it-is-a-bad-idea-to-marry-someone-who-had/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Government likes committees... a lot. Committees kill all the really good ideas and generally all the really bad ideas. They produce middle-ground mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-devos/government-likes-committees-a-lot-committees-kill-all-the-really-good/) [Betsy DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-devos/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [More than any other personality trait, my mother seemed to be ruled by anger and sadness. She seemed to hate being a mother. Watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/more-than-any-other-personality-trait-my-mother-seemed-to-be-ruled-by/) [Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/) > [“Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to inflict my rantings on you, even though we are destined to spend the rest of our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/sorry-he-apologized-i-didn-t-mean-to-inflict-my-rantings-on-you-even/) [connie willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“Jesus. Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, L.A., and Seattle, plus two small towns she'd never heard of in the Gulf Coast region. The unit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-hooper/jesus-chicago-kansas-city-denver-phoenix-l-a-and-seattle-plus-two/) [Kay Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-hooper/) > [“Civilization is an experiment, a very recent way of life in the human career, and it has a habit of walking into what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/civilization-is-an-experiment-a-very-recent-way-of-life-in-the-human/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [Idea-Advocacy Matrix highlights a couple of things: that good ideas need to be "sold" if they are ever going to see the light of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daly/idea-advocacy-matrix-highlights-a-couple-of-things-that-good-ideas/) [John Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daly/) > [“It is not a bad idea to get into the habbit of writing one's thoughts. It saves one having to bother anyone else with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-colegate/it-is-not-a-bad-idea-to-get-into-the-habbit-of-writing-one-s-thoughts/) [Isabel Colegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-colegate/) > [“Medical research has revealed that in about one-tenth of the population, the liver processes alcohol differently, releasing a chemical messenger that creates the craving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaylie-jones/medical-research-has-revealed-that-in-about-one-tenth-of-the/) [Kaylie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaylie-jones/) > [“Sometimes I have good ideas, sometimes I have bad ideas and sometimes I have colossally bad ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-cellier/sometimes-i-have-good-ideas-sometimes-i-have-bad-ideas-and-sometimes/) [Melanie Cellier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-cellier/) > [I have done conferences explaining that cloud is a bad idea. It's putting all your eggs in one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/i-have-done-conferences-explaining-that-cloud-is-a-bad-idea-it-s/) [Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/) > [Minimum sales prices for alcohol are a startlingly bad idea. As with excise duties, the effects are regressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/minimum-sales-prices-for-alcohol-are-a-startlingly-bad-idea-as-with/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) [Browse all 550 Bad idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Big minds have big ideas. 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