| Doesn't it just burn you up when you have | | | | experiment. The literature was full of |
| just shared your 'great idea' with someone | | | | examples that said you can't do this." - |
| and not only are they not as enthusiastic as | | | | Spencer Silver on the work that led to the |
| you, they even go as far as to say your idea | | | | unique adhesives or 3-M "Post-It" |
| won't work! Trust me if this has happened to | | | | Notepads."So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, |
| you you're not alone.In such instances we | | | | we've got this amazing thing, even built with |
| generally have two choices. One, we can let | | | | some of your parts, and what do you think |
| go of the idea and be left with the dreaded | | | | about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We |
| "what if I'd only tried" question running | | | | just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll |
| through our minds . Or two, we can get a | | | | come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So |
| second opinion!Luckily for us the people from | | | | then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they |
| the next few examples did just | | | | said, 'Hey, we don't need you; you haven't |
| that!"Computers in the future may weigh no | | | | got through college yet.'" - Apple Computer |
| more than 15 tons." - Popular Mechanics," | | | | Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get |
| forecasting the relentless march of science, | | | | Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve |
| 1949."I think there is a world market for | | | | Wozniak's personal computer."Professor |
| maybe five computers." | | | | Goddard does not know the relation between |
| | | | action and reaction and the need to have |
| - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943."I | | | | something better than a vacuum against which |
| have traveled the length and breadth of this | | | | to react. He seems to lack the basic |
| country and talked with the best people, and | | | | knowledge ladled out daily in high schools." |
| I can assure you that data processing is a | | | | - New York Times editorial about Robert |
| fad that won't last out the year." - The | | | | Goddard's revolutionary rocket work, |
| editor in charge of business books for | | | | 1921."You want to have consistent and uniform |
| Prentice Hall, 1957."But what...is it good | | | | muscle development across all of your |
| for?" - Engineer at the Advanced Computing | | | | muscles? It can't be done. It's just a fact |
| Systems Division of IBM commenting on the | | | | of life. You just have to accept inconsistent |
| microchip, 1968."There is no reason anyone | | | | muscle development as an unalterable |
| would want a computer in their home." - Ken | | | | condition of weight training." - Response to |
| Olson, president, chairman and founder of | | | | Arthur Jones, who solved the "unsolvable" |
| Digital Equipment Corp., 1977"This | | | | problem by inventing Nautilus."Drill for oil? |
| 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be | | | | You mean drill into the ground to try and |
| seriously considered as a means of | | | | find oil? You're crazy." - Drillers who Edwin |
| communication. The device is inherently of no | | | | L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to |
| value to us." - Western Union internal memo, | | | | drill for oil in 1859."Stocks have reached |
| 1876."The wireless music box has no | | | | what looks like a permanently high plateau." |
| imaginable commercial value. Who would pay | | | | - Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale |
| for a message sent to nobody in particular?" | | | | University, 1929."Airplanes are interesting |
| - David Sarnoff's associates in response to | | | | toys but of no military value." - Mrechal |
| his urgings for investment in the radio in | | | | Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole |
| the 1920s."The concept is interesting and | | | | Superieure de Guerre."Everything that can be |
| well-formed, but in order to earn better than | | | | invented has been invented." - Charles H. |
| a 'C,' the idea must be feasible." - A Yale | | | | Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, |
| University management professor in response | | | | 1899."Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is |
| to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable | | | | ridiculous fiction". - Pierre Pachet, |
| overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to | | | | Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, |
| found Federal Express Corp.)Who the heck | | | | 1872."The abdomen, the chest and the brain |
| wants to hear actors talk?" - Harry M. | | | | will forever be shut from the intrusion of |
| Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927."I'm just glad | | | | the wise and humane surgeon." - Sir John Eric |
| it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his | | | | Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed |
| face and not Gary Cooper." - Gary Cooper on | | | | Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, |
| his decision not to take the leading role in | | | | 1873."640k ought to be enough for anybody." - |
| "Gone with the Wind.""A cookie store is a bad | | | | Bill Gates, 1981Wow! can you imagine what |
| idea. Besides, the market research reports | | | | would have happened if the folks who heard |
| say America likes crispy cookies, not soft | | | | these "expert opinions" hadn't gone for a |
| and chewy cookies like you make." - Response | | | | second opinion? Never fear following your |
| to Debbi Fields' idea of starting her | | | | passion... Here's to your success, Josh |
| company, Mrs. Fields' Cookies."We don't like | | | | HindsJosh Hinds of specializes in helping |
| their sound, and guitar music is on the way | | | | people to achieve maximum success and live |
| out." - Decca Recording Co. rejecting the | | | | the life of their dreams -- receive his |
| Beatles, 1962."Heavier-than-air flying | | | | motivation newsletter by going to is also |
| machines are impossible." - Lord Kelvin, | | | | the co-founder of - visit now to hear |
| president, Royal Society, 1895."If I had | | | | leading motivational speakers and authors. |
| thought about it, I wouldn't have done the | | | | |