1
Places of genius challenge us. They are difficult. They do not earn their place in history with ethnic restaurants or street festivals, but by provoking us, making demands of us. Crazy, unrealistic, beautiful demands.Eric Weiner
2
All genuinely creative ideas are initially met with rejection, since they necessarily threaten the status quo. An enthusiastic reception for a new idea is a sure sign that it is not original.Eric Weiner
3
It's a silly argument, and unnecessary. Creativity doesn't happen "in here" or "out there" but in the spaces in between. Creativity is a relationship, one that unfolds at the intersection of person and place.Eric Weiner
4
Einstein's secretary once said that if Einstein were born among the polar bears, he would still be Einstein. But unless polar bears were well versed in theoretical physics, that is not true. Einstein would not be Einstein. Which is not to take anything away from Einstein, or the polar bears, but simply to point out that he was part of a creative ecology, and trying to isolate him from it is not only silly but futile. .Eric Weiner
5
Yes, failure is part of the mix, he says, but it is a means, not an end. If you fail repeatedly, and in the same manner, you're an idiot, not a genius.Eric Weiner
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The point is, the "best" technology or idea doesn't always prevail. Sometimes chance and the law of unintended consequences win out.Eric Weiner
7
Ideas are like bananas. That bananas grow only in tropical regions doesn't make them any less delicious in Scandinavia.Eric Weiner
8
First of all, nothing good ever came from a beanbag chair. Nothing. I am speaking from personal experience.Eric Weiner
9
The creator of Bambi was secretly writing pornographic novels on the side. This single fact tells you everything you need to know about turn-of-the-century Vienna, and why it was the perfect place for Sigmund Freud and his far-fetched theories about the human psyche.Eric Weiner
10
Geniuses are always marginalized to one degree or another. Someone wholly invested in the status quo is unlikely to disrupt it.Eric Weiner
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You can be as good as Rembrandt, but if no one discovers you, you will only be a genius in theory.Eric Weiner
12
To describe yourself as an entrepreneur or a disrupter is as meaningless as describing yourself as an athlete or a thinker. Really? What sports do you play? What do you think about?Eric Weiner