Fundamentally, it's really hard to work on intellectual and complex projects collaboratively. Complexity is underestimated, even by the people who are in the thick of it.
— Stewart ButterfieldCo-Founder of Slack, Former CEO & Creator of Flickr
“They should foster a culture where bad news is welcomed, not just good news. Unfortunately, many leaders shy away from negative updates. However, if a leader inadvertently suppresses bad news, creating a culture where the messenger is punished, it results in a dysfunctional governance structure.”— Bent Flyvbjerg
Leading researcher on megaprojects, planning, and governance expert
The quote archive
Wisdom in fragments
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
I would love to say that we knew all the answers in advance, but the truth is that we discovered our product and opportunity, rather than planning for it.
— Stewart ButterfieldCo-Founder of Slack, Former CEO & Creator of Flickr
That's what entrepreneurship is all about–experimenting and finding a way of achieving some goal in the context of business. It's something I've always found fascinating.
— Stewart ButterfieldCo-Founder of Slack, Former CEO & Creator of Flickr
For thousands of years, sport has existed alongside religion as the pre-eminent medium through which social bonding takes place, and in contemporary culture football has become the pre-eminent sport of the world.
— Jürgen GriesbeckThe real strength of our culture lies in what happens once our basic needs are met. As social capital develops, humans become increasingly able to perform feats way beyond the biological and cognitive limitations of the individual.
— Peter CorningBiologist and systems theorist known for work on evolution and social cooperation
We have the unusual paradox of being both highly individualistic, yet in essence social. We exist in what I describe as a collective survival exercise.
— Peter CorningBiologist and systems theorist known for work on evolution and social cooperation
The people who do better are somehow better connected. In other words, there is an inherent logic in the idea that the more connections individuals make within their communities the better off they will be emotionally, socially, physically and economically.
— Matthew NicholsonSomething as small as a affordable ticket can make a huge difference to how someone in the community perceives a club… and ultimately, this perception, this brand is what generates more value and revenue for the club.
— Vincent KompanyManchester City Captain & Belgian Football Legend
In football, even though your revenue comes from a source that's linked to your core business, it's not your core business. The core business of any club is simple, to have success on the pitch.
— Vincent KompanyManchester City Captain & Belgian Football Legend
As a captain however, you don't have any power, but you still need to be able to influence people, do the right thing, and move people in the same direction.
— Vincent KompanyManchester City Captain & Belgian Football Legend
As a team captain, you have to figure out how people work, you have to make sure you say the right thing to the right person… you have to know when to shout, when to listen, when to be tough and when to be kind.
— Vincent KompanyManchester City Captain & Belgian Football Legend
As a player, you are your asset. You have to manage and keep your performance- as an athlete- at the highest standard. This is key…. after all, you can't market something that's not working or performing well.
— Vincent KompanyManchester City Captain & Belgian Football Legend
A lot of people assume that I would choose not to have bipolar disorder; but I'm grateful for it. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, because I feel like all the ups and downs have formed who I am, and made be braver, tougher… more creative and more capable.
— AJ MendezProfessional wrestler and WWE performer, known as AJ Lee
We don't change the world through opinions, we change it with examples. So I've been putting myself out there, reaching out and connecting- and you know what, I've had a huge amount of people coming forward telling me their own mental health journey.
— AJ MendezProfessional wrestler and WWE performer, known as AJ Lee
The most important lesson I learned is that you have to show 100% genuine emotion and personality through everything you do and allow that to connect to people. You cannot keep things inside because you think people won't accept you, or will think you're strange; just let your freak flag fly.
— AJ MendezProfessional wrestler and WWE performer, known as AJ Lee
I'm a firm believer that creativity comes from restrictions, so I'm really grateful that I grew-up with so many restrictions around me. When you give people limitations and say, 'here's a canvas, but you can only paint with yellow..' – the wheels start turning, and you plan to get out of the box you're put in.
— AJ MendezProfessional wrestler and WWE performer, known as AJ Lee