Clarke's Law of Revolutionary Ideas: Every revolutionary idea - in science, politics, art, or whatever - seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: (1) 'It's completely impossible - don't waste my time'; (2) 'It's possible, but it's not worth doing'; (3) 'I said it was a good idea all along.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Clarke outlines the typical social progression from rejecting revolutionary ideas to claiming credit for them.
- In plain terms
- New ideas are ignored then dismissed then claimed as good once they succeed.
- What can you take from it?
- Expect initial resistance to new ideas before they become accepted.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What idea are you championing?
- How do you handle rejection?
Another view
Some ideas remain impossible regardless of human acceptance.
More from Arthur C. Clarke
Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Permalink to quote #44 As quoted in Seeds of Peace : A Catalogue of Quotations (1986) by Jeanne Larson, Madge Micheels-Cyrus, p. 244
Permalink to quote #46 Clarke's Second Law: The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
Permalink to quote #43
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