There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.
Edward de BonoSometimes the situation is only a problem because it is looked at in a certain way. Looked at in another way, the right course of action may be so obvious that the problem no longer exists.
Edward de BonoMaybe the social value of truth is as a destination - so long as we do not assume we have arrived there.
Edward de BonoIt's always amazed me how little attention philosophers, psychologists, or anyone else actually has paid to humor.
Edward de BonoOnce a new idea springs into existence, it cannot be unthought. There is a sense of immortality in a new idea.
Edward de BonoWhen the story of these times gets written, we want it to say that we did all we could, and it was more than anyone could have imagined.
Edward de BonoThe purpose of science is not to analyze or describe but to make useful models of the world. A model is useful if it allows us to get use out of it.
Edward de BonoTeaching thinking for just five hours to unemployed youngsters increased employment 500 percent.
Edward de BonoThinking is the ultimate human resource. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we become, we should always want to be better
Edward de BonoCreativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting.
Edward de BonoYou do not go out into the street in your underwear, although usually you are wearing underwear. The underwear is not visible but it is there all the time. It is the same with concepts. They are there. They underlie practical things we do- even when we are not conscious of them.
Edward de BonoI think there is a danger with young people of being dependent in the sense that they don't acquire any identity or self-image of themselves as thinkers.
Edward de BonoIt wouldn't cost too much to change the rules of trade so that poor countries can work their way out of poverty. But the world's leaders won't act unless they hear enough people telling them. And every day they fail to act, thousands of people die because they can't afford the basics of survival.
Edward de BonoAsking a question is the simplest way of focusing thinking...asking the right question may be the most important part of thinking.
Edward de BonoI'm tired of dreaming. I'm into doing at the moment. It's, like, let's only have goals that we can go after.
Edward de BonoAs competition intensifies, the need for creative thinking increases. It is no longer enough to do the same thing better . . . no longer enough to be efficient and solve problems.
Edward de BonoThe vertical thinker says: 'I know what I am looking for.' The lateral thinker says: 'I am looking but I won't know what I am looking for until I have found it.'
Edward de BonoPossibilities play a much bigger role in thinking than most people believe. Without possibilities you cannot make progress.
Edward de BonoAnalysis is simplifying, breaking down things into parts, picking out strands and elements. Analysis is comparing unknown things with things that are known. Analysis also involves picking out relationships and putting them back together as a whole.
Edward de BonoAn idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
Edward de BonoCreative thinking - in terms of idea creativity - is not a mystical talent. It is a skill that can be practised and nurtured.
Edward de BonoLateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces. It is concerned with the perception part of thinking. This is where we organise the external world into the pieces we can then 'process'.
Edward de BonoWe still seek to solve conflicts with 'judgement' instead of designing the way forwards.
Edward de BonoThis new meta-system is very much in favor of the self, but a self that is based on a proper sense of dignity, not on an inflated ego. A person who dare not admit he is wrong inflates his ego but weakens his self.
Edward de BonoMost executives, many scientists, and almost all business school graduates believe that if you analyze data, this will give you new ideas. Unfortunately, this belief is totally wrong. The mind can only see what it is prepared to see.
Edward de BonoIn the future, instead of striving to be right at a high cost, it will be more appropriate to be flexible and plural at a lower cost. If you cannot accurately predict the future then you must flexibly be prepared to deal with various possible futures.
Edward de BonoSome people drift along like a cork on a river, feeling that they cannot do anything except drift, moment to moment. This is an attitude of mind. Everyone can be constructive even in tiny ways.
Edward de BonoThe weapons of the positive revolution are not bullets and bombs but simple human perceptions. Bullets and bombs may offer physical power but eventually will only work if they change perceptions and values. Why not go the direct route and work with perceptions and values?
Edward de BonoA characteristic of intuitive solutions and new ideas is that of being obvious once they are discovered.
Edward de BonoThe system will always be defended by those countless people who have enough intellect to defend but not quite enough to innovate.
Edward de Bono