“The biggest mistake is thinking that some people at the top make strategy, while everybody else executes it. It feels intractable at this point, it's so ingrained in our way of thinking. People at the top don't make all the decisions; it's not the case that people at the top make a strategy decision and then everyone just engages in that exact model.”— Roger L. Martin
The quote archive
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
I'm grateful to be alive during this time. I can't think of a better time than this very moment. Freedom without struggle is an illusion. I love problems. How we deal with problems defines who we are and what values we stand for.
— Ai WeiweiChinese Artist & Dissident; Prominent Human Rights Activist and Political Critic
Without the internet and globalization, Ai Weiwei, as you know him, would not possible. My art comes from those influences and the persistent struggle to understand our time.
— Ai WeiweiChinese Artist & Dissident; Prominent Human Rights Activist and Political Critic
Power is seized with the gun and maintained with the pen. Controlling public opinion through propaganda and misinformation is the most critical task of an authoritarian power.
— Ai WeiweiChinese Artist & Dissident; Prominent Human Rights Activist and Political Critic
Art is necessary for the human mind. Art is about our dreams, fears, and imagination. Art is about everything outside of the system. It is a death sentence for art when it is within the system.
— Ai WeiweiChinese Artist & Dissident; Prominent Human Rights Activist and Political Critic
The strongest characteristic of art is that it belongs to the individual. Art is an expression of individualism and the opposite of oppressive dogma.
— Ai WeiweiChinese Artist & Dissident; Prominent Human Rights Activist and Political Critic
You can't go through life in that negative frame of mind. Just go, see what happens… challenge it. It's better to go to University and have an education doing what you want, rather than what you don't.
— Tracey EminBritish artist known for provocative conceptual and autobiographical works
Had I not defended it and stood by it, I think it could have disappeared into history- but because I protected it, stood up for it, believed in it and understood why it existed and what it had done? That's why it still remains.
— Tracey EminBritish artist known for provocative conceptual and autobiographical works
There's a beauty in the truth which is undeniable. It's a tragedy in a way- sometimes we just need to understand what the hell we've truly lost.
— Tracey EminBritish artist known for provocative conceptual and autobiographical works
True art, real art, real creativity, comes from somewhere else. It isn't about a picture or decoration- there's a divinity to it…
— Tracey EminBritish artist known for provocative conceptual and autobiographical works
Most people would have a nervous breakdown if they didn't have their phone for a day; I would have a total breakdown if there was no culture, no art. I couldn't live without art, it would be impossible.
— Tracey EminBritish artist known for provocative conceptual and autobiographical works
Art is a vocation for me, not a career, not a job… you wouldn't say to a nun. 'so, how did you get into God?'
— Tracey EminBritish artist known for provocative conceptual and autobiographical works
Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goals, if he is able to think, if he is able to wait, if he is able to fast. We all have the ability to perform magic, to endure, to push ourselves beyond our limits, if we have the patience and the resilience.
— David BlaineIllusionist & Street Magician Known for Endurance Stunts & Television Specials
Endurance stays with you across everything, if you do it one place, you can do it anywhere. You're able to sustain because you've already trained your brain to do that.
— David BlaineIllusionist & Street Magician Known for Endurance Stunts & Television Specials
We have created a society that gives us more access to comfort. We have the ability to push much further than we think is possible, but the brain wants us to rest to allow the body to recover.
— David BlaineIllusionist & Street Magician Known for Endurance Stunts & Television Specials
The way you eliminate fear is to approach your situation from every angle, almost as though it were a logic puzzle. I like to think of it as approaching like a tortoise, not like a hare.
— David BlaineIllusionist & Street Magician Known for Endurance Stunts & Television Specials
Endurance is mind over body. It's about tapping into something within us that allows us to push further than we ever thought possible, especially at our weakest moments.
— David BlaineIllusionist & Street Magician Known for Endurance Stunts & Television Specials