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Every once in a while a new idea comes along — a shift in thinking that challenges the status quo. These innovations require us to either resist the change or adapt (most of us tend to resist).

German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer did a good job of summarizing the lifecycle of the new idea, when he said (describing the revelation of “new” truth):

“All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”

Ideas come in all sizes and shapes. The talented ones among us are quick to spot the truth, embrace it and adapt to take advantage of it.

I ran across a great quote from Yvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor outfitter Patagonia and noted environmental philanthropist. He says:

“…to understand an entrepreneur, you should study a juvenile delinquent. They’re both saying: ‘This sucks and I’m going to do it another way.’ You have to want to break the rules and prove that your way works.”

Cheers to the delinquents and entrepreneurs of the world! Cheers to Yvon Choinard.

You are remembered for the rules you break.

Douglas MacArthur

I was reading an interesting story about how Netflix (one of my favorite services) is going to start downloading rentals directly to set-top devices hooked to your TV. Great idea, but what really caught my eye was the quote from Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO and founder:

“It (the set-top device) is going to be very slick and easy,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix’s chief executive officer. “We want the TV experience to be very relaxing and not like visiting a Web site.”

What struck me about Hasting’s quote is how he casually damned all of the web in one swift stroke. Apparently, the web is neither “slick and easy” nor relaxing. Is it really that bad?

Tech investor Yossi Vardi spoke recently at TechCrunch40. Vardi is perhaps best known for being the original investor in instant messaging pioneer ICQ. Michael Arrington describes Yossi as someone who invests in people, not business plans.

To help make his point and establish his philosophy for investment, Vardi quoted Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 speech at the Sorbonne:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and business provocateurs.

Knowledge management is like teenage sex. Everyone is talking about it all the time, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, almost no one is really doing it although everyone is bragging about it, and those who are doing it aren’t doing it very well. - Randy Harless

The unspoken truth behind this clever quote is that there are still some teenagers having good sex — and some companies doing KM well.

Originally seen in CIO Insight back in 2001 and resurfaced by John Maloney.

The world is so fast
that there are days when the person
who says “it can’t be done”
is interrupted
by the person who is doing it.

-Unknown

Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends whom we choose. - Tehyi Hsieh

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. - Henry Ford

Life is a process of accumulation. We either accumulate the debt or the value, the regret or the equity. - Jim Rohn

Cheers to Sarah and Paul for the great book of quotes! Merry Christmas!