35 of the Best Quotes on Innovation from Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein & Others

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By Tricia McKinnon

The path towards a breakthrough innovation never goes along a straight line. Two steps forward and sometimes many steps backward.  But with enough persistence you can achieve your goals.  Take a look at these quotes on innovation to give you a much needed dose of motivation and advice for any project you are working on.

1. "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." – Thomas Edison, Inventor 

2. Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who's going to have a great idea. - Sam Walton

3.  “Focus is scary until you realize that it only means turning your back on markets you could never have anyway. Sharp focus on jobs that customers are trying to get done holds the promise of greatly improving the odds of success in new-product development.” — Clayton M. Christensen, Author 

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6. “I do get asked, quite frequently ‘What’s gonna change in the next 10 years?’ I’m rarely get asked, and it’s probably more important — and I encourage you to think about this — is the question what’s not going to change? The answer to that question can allow you to organize your activities. You can work on those things with the confidence to know that all the energy you put into them today is still going to pay dividends in the years to come.” – Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

7. "If I'd asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." – Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company

8. “Most good ideas sparkle in simplicity, so much so that everyone wonders why no one ever did that before.” - Estee Lauder, Co-Founder of Estee Lauder

9.  “When you see only problems, you’re not seeing clearly.” – Phil Knight, Co-Founder of Nike

10. "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." – Thomas Edison, Inventor

11. "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." – Henry Ford, Founder of the Ford Motor Company  

12. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." – Thomas Edison, Inventor

13.  “Failure and invention are inseparable twins. To invent you have to experiment, and if you know in advance that it's going to work, it's not an experiment.” – Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

14.  "Innovation almost always is not successful the first time out. You try something and it doesn't work and it takes confidence to say we haven't failed yet."  - Clayton Christensen, Author

15. “Innovators need a heavy dose of faith. They need to trust their intuition that they are working on a big idea. That faith need not be blind.” Clayton Christensen, Author

16. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” - Walt Disney, Co-Founder of Walt Disney Productions

17. "It’s always about timing. If it’s too soon, no one understands. If it’s too late, everyone’s forgotten.’” Anna Wintour, Editor-in-chief of Vogue

18. "Market research doesn't help. If you had gone to a customer in 2013 and said, 'Would you like a black, always-on cylinder in your kitchen about the size of a Pringles can that you can talk to and ask questions, that also turns on your lights and plays music?' I guarantee you they'd have looked at you strangely and said, 'No, thank you.'" – Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

19. "People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things." – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple

20.  "Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it." – Steve Jobs Co-Founder of Apple

21.  "There'll always be serendipity involved in discovery." – Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

22. “I am convinced that most people can achieve their dreams and beyond if they have the determination to keep trying.” - Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks

23. History is one long processional of crazy ideas. – Phil Knight, Co-Founder of Nike

24.  "Invention requires a long-term willingness to be misunderstood. You do something that you genuinely believe in, that you have conviction about, but for a long period of time, well-meaning people may criticize that effort." Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

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27. "If you're not doing some things that are crazy, then you're doing the wrong things." - Larry Page, Co-Founder of Google

28.  "If failure is not an option, then neither is success." – Seth Godin, Author

29. “Being original doesn’t require being first. It just means being different and better.”  ― Adam Grant, Author

30. "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." – Coco Chanel, Founder of Chanel

31.  "If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try." – Seth Godin, Author

32. "You have everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself." -  Seth Godin, Author

33.  "Of course, you're not happy when people say 'no.' Have a good sleep, wake up, and try again." – Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba

34. "If you want to be successful tomorrow, it's impossible. If you want to be successful a year later, it's impossible. But if you want to win 10 years later, you have a chance." – Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba

35. “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” ― Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft

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Tricia McKinnonComment