Frances Arnold Quotes

In life, a lot of great ideas sound insane or absurd at first.

A lot of people will say different stuff like, 'You can't do it.' They'll say no before I even say anything. You just have to believe in yourself, and there's a reason they might say no, because they probably haven't seen it before.

My company and people think I'm wacky when I have an idea... I know if I have an idea, no one will want to go through it. But if I persist, people will go through it.

Follow your instincts. Do the kind of writing you love to do and do best. 'Stiff' was an oddball book - I mean, a funny book about cadavers? - and I worried that it would be too unconventional. In the end, that's what has made it a success, I think.

I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you're going to innovate.

Everyone is trying to do something that hasn't been done and that's a really good thing. You can only do so much with a story and some scripts don't give you the opportunities and other scripts do give you the opportunities to do things that haven't been done before.

You need a little bit of insanity to do great things.

Don't hold back in your writing. Take risks. Go ahead and tackle that crazy idea that you think will never fly, because that may be the one that makes you stand out from the crowd. Keep pushing the envelope.

Originality is dangerous.

More or less, I am always saying, 'Let's do what has not been done.'

I get a kick out of being an outsider constantly. It allows me to be creative.

I love to play things that are out-of-the-box. It's just that I don't always get the chance to do it!

If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.

It's all about risk-taking when you're making an album. Don't be scared to do weird things sometimes.

I like pushing boundaries.

To create an organization that's adaptable and innovative, people need the freedom to challenge precedent, to 'waste' time, to go outside of channels, to experiment, to take risks and to follow their passions.

Since I was in my early twenties, at ABC, I was always only interested in things that were not already being done.

Throw in the humor, throw in that personality, try things you wouldn't normally try.

If you're going to be wrong, be dramatically wrong.

Well, when you're trying to create things that are new, you have to be prepared to be on the edge of risk.

When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for everyone telling you you're nuts.

Don't quit. Never give up trying to build the world you can see, even if others can't see it. Listen to your drum and your drum only. It's the one that makes the sweetest sound.

You've got to be picky in this business - if you're not, then I don't think you have the option of longevity. You've got to be choosy and try and do something that's outside of the box and dangerous. I love doing stuff that excites me, gives me that adrenalin rush.

If you want to be in the world I live in, which is a creative world with new ideas, then you've got to get away from the norm. You've got to go for it.

I wish I had less fear about creating my own parts.