Carl Honore Quotes

Most people have their best ideas when they take their minds away from problems they're trying to solve.

Some of the best ideas I get seem to happen when I'm doing mindless manual labor or exercise. I'm not sure how that happens, but it leaves me free for remarkable ideas to occur.

Inspiration is some mysterious blessing which happens when the wheels are turning smoothly.

If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don't just stick there scowling at the problem. But don't make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people's words will pour in where your lost words should be.

Take naps. Often new ideas come together when you are half asleep, but you have to train yourself to remember them.

Your best ideas, those eureka moments that turn the world upside down, seldom come when you're juggling emails, rushing to meet the 5 P.M. deadline or straining to make your voice heard in a high-stress meeting. They come when you're walking the dog, soaking in the bath or swinging in a hammock.

If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.

Being lazy does not mean that you do not create. In fact, lying around doing nothing is an important, nay crucial, part of the creative process. It is meaningless bustle that actually gets in the way of productivity. All we are really saying is, give peace a chance.

Typically my ideas come to me in the most inane ways possible. I had the initial idea for 'Quantum Conundrum' while I was walking down the street to get breakfast. People are like, 'Whoa, what's your inspiration, is it something amazing?' No, I was just really hungry.

Recent studies have shown that our creativity is increased by 60% when we're walking. I encourage my workshop participants to write at their desks but think on their feet.

I've taken Saturdays to be the day I pull back completely. I do things that are more creative, and I've actually found that helps me when I get back into work to be more thoughtful, and I truly believe that feeding your creative soul is really important to being more analytical.

I get a lot of ideas sitting in the living room staring at the walls or lying in bed thinking about things.

It is well known that when Thomas A. Eddison was stymied by a problem, he would lie down and take a short nap.

Psychologists call it "defocused attention," where you broaden your horizons, let your mind float and drift a bit. Coffee keeps us sharp and alert. It's great if you're driving at 3 o'clock in the morning. It's not so great if you're trying to come up with the next violin concerto.

Breaks are good because you need breaks to be more creative. It's hard to come up with that creativity and the stamina for that creativity, all the time.

Nothing in the world can be more exciting than to create something and see it work.

I think that anything that leads to creativity and good work is good.

My girlfriend is much better than I am at working hard then resting, and she demands that from me, too. She insists on having time when we don't do anything. We leave the housework and watch a movie.

I have a good idea every two years. Give me a topic, I will give you the idea!

On Sunday, I think the most important thing for me is to just turn my brain off. The idea of not trying is the key, because that's where you're relaxed enough to let your brain make new connections.

Ideas are all around you - everything gives you ideas. But the real source is the part of your brain that dreams.

Creativity varies inversely with the number of cooks involved in the broth.

You have to allow a certain amount of time in which you are doing nothing in order to have things occur to you, to let your mind think.

I get my best ideas in a thunderstorm. I have the power and majesty of nature on my side.

Pray thee, spare, thyself at times: for it becomes a wise man sometimes to relax the high pressure of his attention to work.