Only a crisis, real or perceived, produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Real change often happens during crises, using ideas prepared beforehand to shift policy.
- In plain terms
- Crises create opportunities to implement new ideas that were previously rejected.
- What can you take from it?
- Prepare ideas before crises to influence outcomes.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you prepare ideas for the unknown?
- When does crisis justify extreme measures?
Another view
Not all crises lead to positive change.
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