---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This exposed an aesthetic flaw in how the…"
description: "\"“This exposed an aesthetic flaw in how the universe worked: The best and most innovative products don’t always win.”\" — Walter Isaacson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/walter-isaacson-384_beauty_this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-th_3204200.png"
---

#  This exposed an aesthetic flaw in how the universe worked…

![“This exposed an aesthetic flaw in how the universe worked: The best and most innovative products don’t always win.” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/walter-isaacson-384_beauty_this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-th_3204200.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/walter-isaacson-384_beauty_this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-th_3204200.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/walter-isaacson-384_beauty_this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-th_3204200.png)

> ““This exposed an aesthetic flaw in how the universe worked: The best and most innovative products don’t always win.””

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Innovative products often lose to less novel ones due to market dynamics, not merit.

**In simple terms:** Great ideas don’t always win.

Key Takeaway

Focus on impact, not just winning.

Themes

innovation market competition

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

business philosophical

When to use this quote

- tech launches
- startup pitches
- product design

Key Concepts

Disruption consumer behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- What strategies can help good ideas succeed?
- How to navigate market bias?

A Different Perspective

May discourage innovators.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Flaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaw/)

## Related quotes

> [The best and most innovative products don't always win...(it's an) aesthetic flaw in how the universe worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-and-most-innovative-products-don-t-always-win-it-s-an/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Jim Hackett, the CEO of Steelcase, is one of a small number of enlightened business leaders who understand that a steady flow of innovative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/jim-hackett-the-ceo-of-steelcase-is-one-of-a-small-number-of-2/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“(Productive Workers + Innovative Products = Industry Leadership, no?)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-depree/productive-workers-innovative-products-industry-leadership-no/)

Max DePree

> [We live up to our father's ideals by caring for the earth and creating high quality and innovative products.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedella-marley/we-live-up-to-our-father-s-ideals-by-caring-for-the-earth-and/)

[Cedella Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedella-marley/)

> [ “In his book, Something Really New: Three Simple Steps to Creating Truly Innovative Products\[lviii\], author Denis J. Hauptly deconstructs the process of innovation into… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/in-his-book-something-really-new-three-simple-steps-to-creating-truly/)

[Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/)

> [We believe we've got the skill base and the techniques to supply the chips that really enable the end manufacturers to develop exciting, innovative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milne/we-believe-we-ve-got-the-skill-base-and-the-techniques-to-supply-the/)

[David Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milne/)

> [“Something Really New: Three Simple Steps to Creating Truly Innovative Products”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/something-really-new-three-simple-steps-to-creating-truly-innovative/)

[Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/)

> [People are unlikely to know that they need a product which does not exist and the basis of market research in new and innovative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-harvey-jones/people-are-unlikely-to-know-that-they-need-a-product-which-does-not/)

[John Harvey-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-harvey-jones/)

> [A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-nadella/a-big-part-of-my-job-is-to-accelerate-our-ability-to-bring-innovative/)

[Satya Nadella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satya-nadella/)

> [Companies have to be innovative in leading with values the same way they have to be innovative in their products and services.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerzema/companies-have-to-be-innovative-in-leading-with-values-the-same-way/)

[John Gerzema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerzema/)

> [“Jim Hackett, the CEO of Steelcase, is one of a small number of enlightened business leaders who understand that a steady flow of innovative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/jim-hackett-the-ceo-of-steelcase-is-one-of-a-small-number-of/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [At Uniqlo, we're thinking ahead. We're thinking about how to create new, innovative products... and sell that to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadashi-yanai/at-uniqlo-we-re-thinking-ahead-we-re-thinking-about-how-to-create-new/)

[Tadashi Yanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadashi-yanai/)

> [Every flaw you have or lapse of concentration can cost you a goal, so you have to be on your toes every minute of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-van-der-sar/every-flaw-you-have-or-lapse-of-concentration-can-cost-you-a-goal-so/)

[Edwin van der Sar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-van-der-sar/)

> [Thirty guys equals five percent die-off among active wingsuit base jumpers. That means there's a flaw in our system and you're an idiot if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-potter/thirty-guys-equals-five-percent-die-off-among-active-wingsuit-base/)

[Dean Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-potter/)

> [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/)

[David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/)

## More by Walter Isaacson

> [“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Atop the brochure McKenna put a maxim, often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, that would become the defining precept of Jobs’s design philosophy: “Simplicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/atop-the-brochure-mckenna-put-a-maxim-often-attributed-to-leonardo-da/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The company began attracting influential new investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-company-began-attracting-influential-new-investors/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“You have to remain critically vigilant.” Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/you-have-to-remain-critically-vigilant-question-every-premise/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“in 1996, bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back. BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/if-you-want-to-live-your-life-in-a-creative-way-as-an-artist-you-have/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was a key lesson for innovation: Understand which industries are symbiotic so that you can capitalize on how they will spur each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-a-key-lesson-for-innovation-understand-which-industries-are/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“CEO Gil Amelio stumbled. Ellison may have been baffled when Jobs insisted that he was not motivated by money, but it was partly true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/ceo-gil-amelio-stumbled-ellison-may-have-been-baffled-when-jobs/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Once a year Jobs took his most valuable employees on a retreat, which he called " The Top 100." They were picked based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/once-a-year-jobs-took-his-most-valuable-employees-on-a-retreat-which/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“An object will display the greatest difference of light and shade when it is seen in the strongest light. . . . But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/an-object-will-display-the-greatest-difference-of-light-and-shade/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

[Explore all 593 Walter Isaacson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“This exposed an aesthetic flaw in how the universe worked: The best and most innovative products don’t always win.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walter Isaacson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-the-universe-worked-the-best/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-the-universe-worked-the-best/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/walter-isaacson-384_beauty_this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-th_3204200.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/walter-isaacson-384_beauty_this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-th_3204200.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/walter-isaacson-384_beauty_this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-th_3204200.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This exposed an aesthetic flaw in how the universe worked: The best and most innovative products don’t…” — Walter Isaacson",
                "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": "Walter Isaacson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“This exposed an aesthetic flaw in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-the-universe-worked-the-best/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/this-exposed-an-aesthetic-flaw-in-how-the-universe-worked-the-best/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
