Oren Etzioni Quotes

Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible.

To me, unconventional thinking is approaching a problem and asking, 'Why not? Why can't something be done?' If someone can't give me a good reason why you can't do something, I find a way to do it.

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

Answers are not enough, students should be encouraged to ask questions and explore alternatives to the norm. Entrepreneurship and invention are the backbone of the new economy, yet I doubt they get more than a nod in economics courses.

We all feel that if we have a crazy idea that might get laughed at, there's nothing wrong with seeing if there's a crazy writer out there who agrees with us and can take it to a crazy network and somehow bring something that's a little bit daft and edgy to life.

I like taking up challenges. I prefer working with scripts that are different and veer from the tried and tested. So far, it's always worked.

The common question that gets asked in business is, 'why?' That's a good question, but an equally valid question is, 'why not?'

People should think things out fresh and not just accept conventional terms and the conventional way of doing things.

I have a real interest in pushing some of the limits of things that studios don't want to make.

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.

An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.

If you look at the scientists who really make a difference, they think boldly. They're not afraid to question what they see.

I think when you take the big swings - and I've done plenty of big swings that I was told were never going to work - those are always the things that break through.

The best students are ones that are willing to take intellectual risks and challenge conventional thinking.

If you don't take a risk then what's the point. We can't keep making films in the same space.

If you're afraid of failure or getting it wrong, you'll never truly innovate or disrupt the market.

If designers are willing to take risks, I think buyers should take risks, as well with press taking risks.

I've always challenged myself and the people who work with me to take new approaches to traditional business challenges, to push the envelope and constantly ask whether our sacred cows are still producing great milk.

It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking when the situation is critical: At such moments every new word and fresh thought is more precious than gold. Indeed, people must not be deprived of the right to think their own thoughts.

When it comes to storytelling, not taking risks is riskier than swinging for the fences. I have very simple ambitions when it comes to taking risks in storytelling and programming. I try very hard to avoid the expected.

There's no such thing as a cautious creative.

I have always believed that the risk takers are eventually rewarded.

You don't know what the country is ready for unless you're pushing that envelope, and I was told that I couldn't develop 'Will and Grace'.

If you're going to fail, you might as well fail at the big ones.

Entrepreneurialism, to me, means being able to fail. And I believe that kind of leadership is not necessary only in business, but it's necessary for running countries, too. You've got to be able to believe in something strongly enough that you want to do it even if there's a risk of failure.