Ray Kurzweil Quotes

Sometimes a problem will seem completely insurmountable. Then someone comes up with a simple new idea, or just a rearrangement of old ideas, that completely eliminates it.

Some of the projects we've proposed over the years have been refused. But we never do other people's ideas; our ideas come out of our two hearts and our two heads.

Usually, the best ideas come from having to fix a really hard problem.

I would consider myself an inventor at heart, or reinventor.

We are all innovators, we all like to use our imagination, which is our greatest tool.

Innovation comes from, one, acknowledging yourself; two, studying and understanding the problem; and three, finding a solution.

I apply the term 'creativity' broadly... it's problem solving. We are all faced with problems, and we have to address them and think of something new, and that's where creativity comes in.

There is a creative solution to every problem. Every possibility holds the promise of abundance.

Each additional idea is a gift to the future. Each additional idea producer is a source of wealth for future generations.

Creativity requires input, and that's what research is. You're gathering material with which to build.

We can invent only with memory.

I'm one of those actors who is going to come in with 2,500 ideas. You can shoot down 2,499, but one of them you're going to like.

Openness explains the ability to innovate and come up with big ideas because you're open to them, and fluid intelligence explains the ability to go and execute.

Anytime you put a challenge out there, people come up with a creative solution on the software side.

But innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem.

Every project is an opportunity to learn, to figure out problems and challenges, to invent and reinvent.

My joking answer to this question is that I leave a bowl of milk out on the back porch every night for the Idea Fairy. In the morning, the milk is gone and there's a brand-new shiny idea by the bowl.

When you have an employee who's innovative in your organization, what are they thinking about in the shower? If they're working in an exciting place, they're not thinking what they're going to do over the weekend. They're thinking: 'How do I solve that problem?'

Creativity is the answer. I always prefer the creative solution to an expensive solution.

Thinking is my hobby. But sometimes you get to where you're stuck and you can't figure it out, so you just go work on another project. I always have multiple projects.

Some people are way less creative than you wish they were.

I love leaving the door open to good ideas. I love the collaborative swirl. I get charged by problem-solving, usually under some kind of stress - the sun is going down, and we have eight minutes, and we have to solve it. Great things come out of it.

Creativity is a mansion. If you're empty in one room, all you have to do is go out into the hallway and enter another room that's full.

It's a must to continually stay alert and aware because ideas come from everywhere. And beyond relying on your fine-tuned radar to pick up on the next inspiration, consider seeking mentors.

My imagination ran 24/7, and to me, every problem was a challenge to solve and new product to create. It wasn't until I started teaching that I realized that not everyone's head worked the same way.