Creativity quotes: 80 real quotes about creativity and ideas
Quotes about creativity from painters, designers, scientists and writers, each with a copy button. Every one checked against its source.
KraftyLab TeamUpdated 12 min read
Most lists open with a creativity quote nobody has traced to Einstein. These 80 creativity quotes were checked one by one against the speaker's own book, letter, talk or interview, or the sourced section of their Wikiquote page, and we kept their published wording. They're sorted by what you need one for: a blank page, a brainstorm, a failed test or a design review. After the quotes you'll find ways to use them at work, five brainstorm prompts, 30 words of creativity we wrote ourselves and the famous lines we left out.
Creativity quotes for getting started
Motivational quotes for creativity when you face the blank page, the empty board or the first ten minutes of a brainstorm.
1
Don't loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club, and if you don't get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it.
Jack London, novelist
2
It's all been said better before. If I thought I had to say it better than anyone else, I'd never start.
Madeleine L'Engle, novelist
3
For me all is in the conception. I must therefore have a clear vision of the whole from the beginning.
Henri Matisse, painter
4
The way to get over creative block is to simply place some constraints on yourself. It seems contradictory, but when it comes to creative work, limitations mean freedom.
Austin Kleon, writer and artist
5
You always start with a fantasy.
Edwin Land, Polaroid founder
6
Make a drawing. Start it all over again, trace it. Start it and trace it again.
Edgar Degas, painter
7
Begin by drawing and painting like the old masters. After that do as you see fit: you will always be respected.
Salvador Dalí, painter
8
Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.
E. L. Doctorow, novelist
9
It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
E. L. Doctorow, novelist
10
A great book begins with an idea; a great life, with a determination.
Louis L'Amour, novelist
11
How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.
Henry David Thoreau, essayist
The best quotes about creativity: craft, curiosity and ideas
Creative quotes from people who did the work every day, and what they learned about where ideas come from.
Practice and craft
Painters, writers and designers on the daily work behind the ideas.
12
No sudden inspiration can replace the long years of arduous labor necessary to train the eye to observe, the hand to reproduce.
Auguste Rodin, sculptor
13
You must do over the same subject ten times, a hundred times. In art nothing must appear accidental, even a movement.
Edgar Degas, painter
14
Nature can afford to be prodigal in everything, the artist must be frugal down to the last detail.
Paul Klee, painter
15
Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad.
Salvador Dalí, painter
16
I have never found anywhere, in the domain of art, that you don't have to walk to.
Ursula K. Le Guin, novelist
17
Scott took LITERATURE so solemnly. He never understood that it was just writing as well as you can and finishing what you start.
Ernest Hemingway, novelist
18
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.
Charles Mingus, jazz bassist
19
Design depends largely on constraints.
Charles Eames, designer
20
I have never been forced to accept compromises but I have willingly accepted constraints.
Charles Eames, designer
21
What I cannot create, I do not understand.
Richard Feynman, physicist
22
Science is the captain, and practice the soldiers.
Leonardo da Vinci, artist and inventor
23
Creative thinking... is not a mystical talent. It is a skill that can be practised and nurtured.
Edward de Bono, creative thinking writer
Quotes about imagination and creativity
On curiosity, connecting things and where new ideas come from.
24
Creativity is just connecting things.
Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder
25
I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
Albert Einstein, physicist
26
A new idea comes suddenly and in a rather intuitive way. But intuition is nothing but the outcome of earlier intellectual experience.
Albert Einstein, physicist
27
If you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas. Most of them will be wrong, and what you have to learn is which ones to throw away.
Linus Pauling, chemist
28
Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising.
Alan Kay, computer scientist
29
You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
Mark Twain, writer
30
It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover. To know how to criticize is good, to know how to create is better.
Henri Poincaré, mathematician
31
Science, like art, is not a copy of nature but a re-creation of her.
Jacob Bronowski, mathematician and historian
32
You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
Maya Angelou, poet
33
All of us have to learn how to invent our lives, make them up, imagine them.
Ursula K. Le Guin, novelist
34
Explore, and explore, and explore. Be neither chided nor flattered out of your position of perpetual inquiry.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist
35
The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no standard by which to judge it.
Carl Rogers, psychologist
36
Creativity is the result of a struggle between vitality and form.
Rollo May, psychologist
37
I invent nothing, I rediscover.
Auguste Rodin, sculptor
38
How often people speak of art and science as though they were two entirely different things, with no interconnection.
Isaac Asimov, writer and biochemist
39
Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there.
Richard Feynman, physicist
40
The web is more a social creation than a technical one.
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the web
Creative quotes about failure and play
Most new ideas start as a mistake or a game. To warm a team up, try a few drawing games before the real work.
41
If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.
Ken Robinson, education author
42
An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.
Edwin Land, Polaroid founder
43
Study your mistakes; admit them, study them, and be terribly excited about them too.
Buckminster Fuller, architect and inventor
44
If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.
John Cleese, comedian
45
Play touches and stimulates vitality, awakening the whole person: mind, body, intelligence and creativity, spontaneity and intuition.
Viola Spolin, improv teacher
46
Try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!
Julia Child, chef and author
47
I'll play it and tell you what it is later.
Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter
48
When a child begins to play games... he enters the gateway to reason and imagination together.
Jacob Bronowski, mathematician and historian
49
You're often most creative when you're the least productive.
Austin Kleon, writer and artist
50
Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.
Oscar Wilde, playwright
51
Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.
Oscar Wilde, playwright
52
If you don't call it art, you're likely to get a better result.
Brian Eno, musician and producer
53
Sometimes it's great fun to be silly, like children playing statues and dying of laughter. And sometimes being silly breaks the even pace and lets you get a new start.
John Steinbeck, novelist
Quotes about creativity and innovation
From designers, inventors and founders who made new things for a living.
54
No grand idea was ever born in a conference, but a lot of foolish ideas have died there.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, novelist
55
It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder
56
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
Alan Kay, computer scientist
57
One could describe Design as a plan for arranging elements to accomplish a particular purpose.
Charles Eames, designer
58
Design is thinking made visible.
Saul Bass, graphic designer
59
I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity.
I. M. Pei, architect
60
I think things that work well start to look good as well.
James Dyson, inventor
61
The problem with competition is that it takes away the requirement to set your own path, to invent your own method, to find a new way.
Seth Godin, marketing author
62
My whole life has been spent trying to teach people that intense concentration for hour after hour can bring out in people resources they didn't know they had.
Edwin Land, Polaroid founder
63
Why do people think artists are special? It's just another job.
Andy Warhol, artist
64
Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you.
Austin Kleon, writer and artist
65
Design isn't marketing, but more and more companies are treating it like that. There should be an absolute commitment to design and technology, and they have to go together.
Dieter Rams, industrial designer
66
The art of science is as important as so-called technical science. You need both.
Jonas Salk, medical researcher
Creativity art quotes
Quotes on creativity and art, from artists, poets and composers on what art is for.
67
A work of art is good if it has grown out of necessity.
Rainer Maria Rilke, poet
68
Individuality of expression is the beginning and end of all art.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer
69
Art is for everybody.
Keith Haring, artist
70
Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life.
Oscar Wilde, playwright
71
If the world were clear, art would not exist.
Albert Camus, novelist
72
To leave the reader free to decide what your work means, that's the real art; it makes the work inexhaustible.
Ursula K. Le Guin, novelist
73
Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. Since I cannot sing, I paint.
Georgia O'Keeffe, painter
74
If the artist has outer and inner eyes for nature, nature rewards him by giving him inspiration.
Wassily Kandinsky, painter
75
Slowly I discovered the secret of my art. It consists of a meditation on nature, on the expression of a dream which is always inspired by reality.
Henri Matisse, painter
76
When looking at any significant work of art, remember that a more significant one probably has had to be sacrificed.
Paul Klee, painter
77
To Bach, notes were not just sounds but the very stuff of creation.
Leonard Bernstein, conductor and composer
78
Fiction is like a spider's web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners.
Virginia Woolf, novelist
79
The arts put man at the center of the universe, whether he belongs there or not.
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist
80
Poetry must be new as foam, and as old as the rock.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist
How to use creativity quotes at work
A quote on its own is decoration. A quote tied to a task gets people started. Four places it works, with wording you can borrow.
To open a brainstorm. Read one quote, then set a number. A target count pushes the room past the first safe answers, and a quote about quantity makes the bad ideas feel allowed.“Linus Pauling said that if you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas. So for the next ten minutes we want 30 ideas for [problem], and at least five should be ridiculous.”
Before a design review. Remind people what the review is for: how the thing works, not only how it looks. Then ask for one question per person before anyone gives an opinion.“Steve Jobs said design is how it works. Before we talk about colors, walk us through what a new user does first on [screen].”
In a creative channel. Post one quote a week with a small prompt people can answer in a sketch, a photo or a sentence. Keep it short and let people skip it.“This week: Charles Eames said design depends largely on constraints. Show us something you made with one tool, one color or ten minutes.”
After an idea fails. Name what you learned and thank the person who took the risk. The next brainstorm is only as bold as the reaction to the last failed idea.“Edwin Land said that an essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. [Name], the test on [idea] didn't work, and it taught us [lesson]. Thank you for trying it.”
Five quote-and-question prompts for a brainstorm
Each pairs a quote from this page with a question we wrote. Read the quote, give everyone three minutes to write ideas alone, then share them. Quiet writing first gets more ideas from the people who don't speak first.
Linus Pauling: “If you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas.”
What are ten ways to solve this, including three you would never pick?
Alan Kay: “Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising.”
Which other industry has already solved a problem like ours?
Austin Kleon: “when it comes to creative work, limitations mean freedom.”
If we had half the budget and one week, what would we try?
F. Scott Fitzgerald: “No grand idea was ever born in a conference, but a lot of foolish ideas have died there.”
Which idea did we drop too fast last time, and what would it take to test it?
Edwin Land: “An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.”
What would you try this month if a failed test cost us nothing but time?
30 words of creativity
One word and one line on it, for a sticky note, a channel topic or the first slide of a workshop. We wrote these, so they carry no name.
1
Curious: ask one more question than feels polite.
2
Messy: the first draft is supposed to look like this.
3
Playful: try the silly version before the serious one.
4
Brave: share the idea before it feels finished.
5
Stubborn: keep going after the obvious answers run out.
6
Generous: build on someone else's idea before pitching your own.
7
Patient: some ideas need to sit overnight.
8
Specific: one clear example beats ten vague ones.
9
Restless: ask what else this could be.
10
Open: the best idea in the room may not be yours.
11
Simple: cut until it breaks, then add one thing back.
12
Visual: sketch it, even badly.
13
Borrowed: take a trick from another field and make it yours.
14
Quiet: protect one hour with no meetings and no pings.
15
Bold: put the strange idea on the list anyway.
16
Focused: pick one problem and stay with it.
17
Fresh: take a walk when you're stuck.
18
Honest: say what isn't working, kindly.
19
Hands-on: make a rough version people can hold or click.
20
Plenty: quantity first, quality later.
21
Connected: two old ideas can make one new one.
22
Fearless: a failed test is still data.
23
Light: laugh at the bad ideas together.
24
Constrained: a tight brief often sparks the best work.
25
Observant: watch how people really use the thing.
26
Iterative: version two is where it gets good.
27
Shared: write ideas where everyone can see them.
28
Unfinished: show work in progress, not just the polished version.
29
Rested: tired brains repeat themselves.
30
Grateful: thank the person whose idea started yours.
Famous creativity quotes we left out
Most creativity lists open with these. The person named either never said the line or no one can show they did, so we left them out.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” (usually credited to Albert Einstein)
It isn't on Wikiquote's Einstein page at all, not even under disputed or misattributed, and we found no letter, book or interview where he said it. His real line about imagination is on this page.
“Creativity takes courage.” (usually credited to Henri Matisse)
Wikiquote's only source is a 1998 anthology of artists' advice, published more than 40 years after he died, with no original given.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” (usually credited to Pablo Picasso)
Wikiquote lists it as disputed. The earliest print credit is a 1976 TIME article, three years after his death.
“The most dangerous phrase in the language is ‘We've always done it this way.’” (usually credited to Grace Hopper)
Wikiquote lists this wording as disputed. What she did say, in 1987, is that humans are allergic to change and love to say “We've always done it this way.”
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” (usually credited to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Wikiquote files it under misattributed. The wording isn't Goethe's: the closest match is a very loose English version of Faust by the translator John Anster.
For the meeting after the brainstorm, our communication quotes cover listening, feedback and disagreeing well.
Make something together
A quote gets people thinking. Making something gets them out of their heads. Both of these run for 60 minutes with a live host on your video call, on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request). Creative Fun & Games is a playful, competitive event built on everyday household items, so nobody needs supplies. Improv teaches “Yes, And,” storytelling and thinking on your feet. Teams split across time zones can book two sessions. Book about 2 weeks ahead. For something to take home, see our virtual craft workshops and virtual paint nights.
Two hosted events for a team that needs fresh ideas, with today's prices. Get a free quote with your date and headcount.
Three of the best known that are real: Steve Jobs's “Creativity is just connecting things” (Wired, 1996), Maya Angelou's “You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” and Albert Einstein's “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” from a 1929 interview with George Sylvester Viereck. All three are in our list with the speaker's name ready to copy.
What is a good short quote about creativity?
Try “Design is thinking made visible” (Saul Bass), “You always start with a fantasy” (Edwin Land) or “Art is for everybody” (Keith Haring). Each is short enough for a slide title, a whiteboard or a channel topic.
What are some quotes about imagination and creativity?
Mark Twain wrote that you can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus, and Ursula K. Le Guin said all of us have to learn how to invent our lives. To put imagination to work with a team, pair a quote with one of our critical thinking questions.
What are good quotes about creativity and innovation at work?
Alan Kay's “The best way to predict the future is to invent it” suits a kickoff, and F. Scott Fitzgerald's note that no grand idea was ever born in a conference is a fair warning before a long meeting. For hands-on exercises after the quote, see our problem-solving activities.
Did Einstein say “Creativity is intelligence having fun”?
We found no evidence he did. The line isn't on Wikiquote's Einstein page, not even in the disputed or misattributed sections, and no letter, book or interview of his has turned up with it. A line he did say, in 1929, is “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.”
What are some motivational quotes for creatives?
Jack London's advice to go after inspiration “with a club” is a good kick for a stuck week, and Madeleine L'Engle admitted that if she thought she had to say it better than anyone else, she'd never start. Ken Robinson's line about being prepared to be wrong is a good one for the whole team.
How can you use creativity quotes in a brainstorm?
Read one quote, then ask one question and set a target number of ideas. Our five warm-up prompts pair a quote with a question. For a livelier start, try a round of improv games before the first sticky note.
Give your team an hour to make something
A live host runs a 60-minute creative event for your team on your video call. Send your date and headcount for a plan within 24 hours.
