I always wanted to be a scientist, I always thought I'd be a scientist, that was the narrative I was carrying around. I worked in a neuroscience lab as an undergraduate and then after, almost five years in total, but I realized I just wasn't good at science. I didn't have the discipline for it.
Jonah LehrerRejection process is not fun. It's the red pen on the page, the discarded sketch, sometimes is the only way forward.
Jonah LehrerDistance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.
Jonah LehrerCreativity is not a trait that we inherit in our genes or a blessing bestowed by the angels. It's a skill.
Jonah LehrerThe only way to maximize group creativityโto make the whole more than the sum of its partsโis to encourage a candid discussion of mistakes. In part, this is because the acceptance of error reduces cost. When you believe your flaws will be quickly corrected by the group, you're less worried about perfecting your contribution, which leads to a more candid conversation. We can only get it right when we talk about what we got wrong.
Jonah Lehrer