Linus Pauling — "Well David, I have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones."
Well David, I have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones.
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More from Linus Pauling
"I am an optimist. I believe that the human race will solve its problems."
"The problem of an atomic war must not be confused by minor problems such as Communism versus capitalism. An atomic war would kill everyone, left, right, or center."
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Details
Response to David Harker asking how he had so many good ideas
Date: c. 1930s (as recalled later)
Self-DeprecatingVerification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: gemini
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Productivity and genius are not about having only good ideas — they are about generating many ideas and ruthlessly discarding the weak ones. The filtering process, not the initial inspiration, is where quality emerges. Most ideas will fail; the discipline lies in honest self-evaluation and the willingness to abandon what does not work without attachment or ego.
Relevance to Linus Pauling
Pauling won two Nobel Prizes — Chemistry and Peace — demonstrating extraordinary range. His scientific method involved proposing bold structural hypotheses for chemical bonds, testing them rigorously, and abandoning failed models. His vitamin C megadose advocacy later showed the same prolific idea-generation, though the filtering occasionally failed him, revealing this principle as both his strength and limitation.
The era
Pauling worked through the mid-20th century scientific explosion, when chemistry, biology, and physics were rapidly intersecting. The race to decode DNA, understand molecular structure, and develop new materials demanded creative volume. In an era before computational modeling, scientists had to generate and mentally stress-test many competing structural theories, making high-volume ideation paired with disciplined rejection an essential working method.
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