26 Quotes by Matthew Syed

Creativity is, in many respects, a response.

...innovation is highly context-dependent. It is a response to a particular problem at a particular time and place. Take away the context, and you remove both the spur to innovation, and its raw material.

Gdy przedstawia się nam dowody przeczące naszym najgłębiej zakorzenionym przekonaniom, częściej przeformułowujemy znaczenie dowodów, niż zmieniamy punkt widzenia. Wymyślamy nowe powody, usprawiedliwienia i wyjaśnienia. Czasami po prostu ignorujemy fakty.

Marginal gains is not about making small changes and hoping they fly. Rather, it is about breaking down a big problem into small parts in order to rigorously establish what works and what doesn't.

Every error, every flaw, every failure, however small, is a marginal gain in disguise. This information is regarded not as a threat but as an opportunity.

Jak to ujęła Eleanor Roosevelt: „Ucz się na cudzych błędach. Nie będziesz żył dość długo, by popełnić wszystkie samemu”.

Marginal gains is not about making small changes and hoping they fly. Rather, it is about breaking down a big problem into small parts in order to rigorously establish what works and what doesn’t.

When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.

The subversive idea at the centre of Ericsson’s work is that excellence is not reserved for the lucky few but can be achieved by almost all of us.