“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all.”

The analysis of data will not by itself produce new ideas.

The image that concerns most people is the reflection they see in other people’s minds.

A good listener is very nearly as attractive as a good talker. You cannot have a beautiful mind if you do not know how to listen.

Do we have the will to make poverty history?

Lateral thinking is the process of using information to bring about creativity and insight restructuring. Lateral thinking can be learned, practised and used. It is possible to acquire skill in it just as it is possible to acquire skill in mathematics.

Perception is real even when it is not reality.

Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea.

People should realize we’re jerks just like them.

I think there is a danger with young people of being dependent in the sense that they don’t acquire any identity or self-image of themselves as thinkers.

One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.

A myth is a fixed way of looking at the world which cannot be destroyed because, looked at through the myth, all evidence supports the myth.

Studies have shown that 90% of error in thinking is due to error in perception. If you can change your perception, you can change your emotion and this can lead to new ideas.

In the future, instead of striving to be right at a high cost, it will be more appropriate to be flexible and plural at a lower cost. If you cannot accurately predict the future then you must flexibly be prepared to deal with various possible futures.

The need to be right all the time is the biggest bar to new ideas.

Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain.

Complexity creates confusion, simplicity focus.

Creativity is an infinitely renewable resource – you are not going to run out of it – so don’t be afraid to use it.

The Eeyore Educational System sees childhood as a waste of time, a luxury that society cannot afford . . . Put children in school at the earliest age possible; load them down with homework; take away their time, their creativity, their play, their power; then plug them into machines.

If I have more creativity that I want to get out of me, I try to find other ways than pursuing solo records so much.

In the abstract art of cooking, ingredients trump appliances, passion supersedes expertise, creativity triumphs over technique, spontaneity inspires invention, and wine makes even the worst culinary disaster taste delicious.

Get punctual, bring energy and creativity to your work, and stay with a project until it’s completed (and then double-check the results). These habits will make you indispensable.

Bugs Bunny is my muse.

I know that education is all about discipline and motivation. Disadvantaged students need extra attention, a stable school environment, and enough teacher creativity to stimulate their imaginations. Those things are not expensive.

Yao Ming is the best thing to happen to the NBA in a long time. He is just a beautiful person inside and out. The vision, the creativity, the gentleness of spirit … he has it all.