Creativity Killers

Here are a few examples of "creativity killers" – people who were NOT willing to think outside the box:

• "Everything that can be invented has been invented." [Charles H. Duell, Director of the American Patent Office in 1899]
• "Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote." [Grover Cleveland, 1905]
• "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" [Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros Pictures, 1927]
• "There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom." [Robert Miliham, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923]
• "Heavier than air flying machines are impossible." [Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895]
• "The horse is here today, but the automobile is only a novelty – a fad." [President of Michigan Savings Bank advising against investing in the Ford Motor Company]
• "Video won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." [Daryl F. Zanuck, 20th Century Fox, commenting on television in 1946]
• "What use could the company make of an electric toy?" [Western Union, when it turned down rights to the telephone in 1878]

What "box" do you need to break out of? With God, all things are possible!

Tomorrow: some ideas on fostering creativity.

P.S. For some more insightful quotes on creativity and innovation, click here.