Roger von Oech's Quotes

It's easy to come up with new ideas; the hard part is letting go of what worked for you two years ago, but will soon be out-of-date.

Take advantage of the ambiguity in the world. Look at something and think what else it might be.

Either you let your life slip away by not doing the things you want to do, or you get up and do them.

If you don't execute your ideas, they die.

Most people think of success and failure as opposites, but they both are products of the same process.

Everyone has a 'risk muscle.' You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don't, it atrophies. Make a point of using it at least once a day.

If you make an error, use it as a stepping stone to a new idea you might not have otherwise discovered.

It's important for the explorer to be willing to be led astray.

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.

Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.

I'm not a big theory person. So when I get asked questions that demand serious statements, I just make it up.

I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make beautiful paintings by putting beautiful paint on a canvas with a beautiful motif. It just doesn't work. I expect my paintings to be strong and surprising.

If someone stands in front of one of my paintings and says, 'This is just a mess', the word 'just' is not so good, but 'mess' might be right. Why not a mess? If it makes you say, 'Wow, I've never seen anything like that', that's beautiful.