--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We realized we don't have an invention…" description: "\"We realized we don't have an invention, that's why we gave it away.\" — William McDonough" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/william-mcdonough-10055_gave_we-realized-we-don-t-have-an-invention-t_2655684.png" --- # We realized we don't have an invention, that's why we gave… ![“We realized we don't have an invention, that's why we gave it away.” quote by William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/william-mcdonough-10055_gave_we-realized-we-don-t-have-an-invention-t_2655684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/william-mcdonough-10055_gave_we-realized-we-don-t-have-an-invention-t_2655684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/william-mcdonough-10055_gave_we-realized-we-don-t-have-an-invention-t_2655684.png) > “We realized we don't have an invention, that's why we gave it away.” [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creators realized their product lacked novelty, so they chose to share it freely, emphasizing openness over proprietary advantage. **In simple terms:** They gave away a non‑unique invention. Key Takeaway Share ideas when they lack a competitive edge. Themes innovation generosity open source Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - product launch - open‑source project - community building Key Concepts intellectual property collaboration Questions to Reflect On - What benefits arise from openly sharing non‑unique creations? - How can openness drive future innovation? A Different Perspective Sharing may reduce potential profit from exclusive rights. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Don Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-invention-2386353/) [Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave/) [Gave Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-away-756902/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Invention Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention-gave-2386352/) ## Related quotes > [I'm thankful God really slowed me down and showed me, whatever he had gave to me, he can take it away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrien-broner/i-m-thankful-god-really-slowed-me-down-and-showed-me-whatever-he-had/) [Adrien Broner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrien-broner/) > [“I gave away my mystery, knowing I shouldn't, yet incapable of anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-gave-away-my-mystery-knowing-i-shouldn-t-yet-incapable-of-anything/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“I mourn the piece of myself that I gave away and will never get back”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggi-myers/i-mourn-the-piece-of-myself-that-i-gave-away-and-will-never-get-back/) [Maggi Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggi-myers/) > [“Honey, you can’t lose someone you gave away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffinie-helmer/honey-you-can-t-lose-someone-you-gave-away/) [Tiffinie Helmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffinie-helmer/) > [Poor artist! You gave away part of your soul when you painted the picture which you are now trying to dispose of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/poor-artist-you-gave-away-part-of-your-soul-when-you-painted-the/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [Over a three year period, I gave away half of what I had. To be honest, my hands shook as I signed it away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/over-a-three-year-period-i-gave-away-half-of-what-i-had-to-be-honest/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [What I spent, is gone; what I kept, I lost; but what I gave away will be mine forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-percy-andrus/what-i-spent-is-gone-what-i-kept-i-lost-but-what-i-gave-away-will-be/) [Ethel Percy Andrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-percy-andrus/) > [I love her. I need her. I gave away everything I had for her. I just wanted her to know me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/i-love-her-i-need-her-i-gave-away-everything-i-had-for-her-i-just/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [They gave me away as a prize once - a Win Tony Curtis For A Weekend competition. The woman who won was disappointed. She'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-curtis/they-gave-me-away-as-a-prize-once-a-win-tony-curtis-for-a-weekend/) [Tony Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-curtis/) > [I gave away a lot of works for benefits and then people would also give me back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-gave-away-a-lot-of-works-for-benefits-and-then-people-would-also/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [ I entered high school she\[ my mother\] said, "Well, you're a teenager now, and comics are for kids, so you shouldn't read them anymore,"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trina-robbins/i-entered-high-school-she-my-mother-said-well-you-re-a-teenager-now/) [Trina Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trina-robbins/) > [You gave yourself away, word by word, every time you opened your trap to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/you-gave-yourself-away-word-by-word-every-time-you-opened-your-trap/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Maybe I miss you because you took a part of me that I gave away without realizing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-i-miss-you-because-you-took-a-part-of-me-that-i-gave-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never gave away anything without wishing I had kept it; nor kept it without wishing I had given it away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-brooks/i-never-gave-away-anything-without-wishing-i-had-kept-it-nor-kept-it/) [Louise Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-brooks/) > [I never gave away anything without wishing I had kept it; nor kept anything without wishing I had given it away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-brooks/i-never-gave-away-anything-without-wishing-i-had-kept-it-nor-kept/) [Louise Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-brooks/) ## More by William McDonough > [Honor commerce as the engine of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/honor-commerce-as-the-engine-of-change/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I am very focused on large-scale deployments of renewable power and how we're going to get this done. Imagine our military bases covered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-am-very-focused-on-large-scale-deployments-of-renewable-power-and/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [You don't filter smokestacks or water. 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We're different, we're multi dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-are-not-a-green-standard-we-are-a-quality-standard-we-re-different/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If anybody here has trouble with the concept of design humility, reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-anybody-here-has-trouble-with-the-concept-of-design-humility/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [The problem I have with carbon as a bad thing issue, is that people go out and say they want to be zero carbon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad-thing-issue-is-that-people-go/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If you don't have an end game of something delightful, you're just moving chess pieces around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-you-don-t-have-an-end-game-of-something-delightful-you-re-just/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [“Ultimately a regulation is a signal of design failure...it is what we call a license to harm: a permit issued by a government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/ultimately-a-regulation-is-a-signal-of-design-failure-it-is-what-we/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I just think it is so delightful to see people, let their elbows free. 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