Larry Ellison Quotes

The only way to get ahead is to find errors in conventional wisdom.

Big ideas come from forward thinking people who challenge the norm, think outside the box, and invent the world they see inside rather than submitting to the limitations of current dilemmas

When you find errors in conventional wisdom-when everyone says A and A is not true-you gain competitive advantage. Only a few times do you have to find errors in conventional wisdom to make a living.

A lot of times it's an asset to not know everything about everything... A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people just didn't know it wasn't supposed to be possible.

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.

If your writing collides with the conventional wisdom, there's going to be some kind of friction.

The impossible - we are told - cannot be achieved. To overcome the 'impossible,' we need to use our wits and be fearless. We need to break the rules and to circumvent - some would one say to cheat.

I've always shied away from conventional wisdom, though I know the power of it.

Rough work, iconoclasm, but the only way to get at truth.

When you're used to being prepared to reject conventional wisdom, it leaves you open to learn more.

Scientists who play by someone else's rules don't have much chance of making discoveries.

In every respect the burden is hard on those who attack an almost universal opinion. They must be very fortunate well as unusually capable if they obtain a hearing at all.

I don't think we ought to base our policy on what the conventional wisdom is.... The conventional wisdom usually is wrong.

The essence of my way of doing business is to not accept the traditional way things are done.

What people don't realize is that when you start making things outside of the convention of what is normal or good or 'best practices,' you're also shedding some of the baggage that comes with the concept of what a game 'should' be.

My parents always told me never be a follower, always be a leader. It's very difficult to do, to step out and be different and not follow the norm. If you want what's best for your team, you gotta be different.

All new ideas begin in a non-conforming mind that questions some tenet of the conventional wisdom.

Creative people do not belong in the university because the process is antithetical to the analytical process so necessary for proper scholarship.

The three foundations of judgement: Bold Design, Constant Practice, and Frequent Mistakes.

The fear of being different prevents most people from seeking new ways to solve their problems.

It is always the task of the intellectual to "think otherwise." This is not just a perverse idiosyncrasy. It is an absolutely essential feature of a society.

If everyone is defining a problem or solving it one way and the results are subpar, this is the time to ask, What if I did the opposite? Don't follow a model that doesn't work. If the recipe sucks, it doesn't matter how good a cook you are.

Sometimes people think you’re smart if you question the status quo, if nothing else.

The most important aspect of my personality as far as determining my success goes; has been my questioning conventional wisdom, doubting experts and questioning authority. While that can be painful in your relationships with your parents and teachers, it's enormously useful in life.