Edward B. Burger > Quotes

“The simple and familiar hold the secrets of the complex and unknown.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“In everything you do, refine your skills and knowledge about fundamental concepts and simple cases. Once is never enough. As you revisit fundamentals, you will find new insights. It may appear that returning to basics is a step backward and requires additional time and effort; however, by building on firm foundations you will soon see your true abilities soar higher and faster.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“If you can’t solve a problem, then there is an easier problem you can’t solve: find it. —George Polya When”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Fail nine times The next time you face a daunting challenge, think to yourself, “In order for me to resolve this issue, I will have to fail nine times, but on the tenth attempt, I will be successful.” This attitude frees you and allows you to think creatively without fear of failure, because you understand that learning from failure is a forward step toward success. Take a risk and when you fail, no longer think, “Oh, no, what a frustrating waste of time and effort,” but instead extract a new insight from that misstep and correctly think, “Great: one down, nine to go—I’m making forward progress!” And indeed you are. After your first failure, think, “Terrific, I’m 10% done!” Mistakes, loss, and failure are all flashing lights clearly pointing the way to deeper understanding and creative solutions.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“mistakes are positive elements of quintessential thinking and failure is an important part of the foundation upon which to build success.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Deep work on simple, basic ideas helps to build true virtuosity—not just in music but in everything.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Search for evidence and don’t be satisfied until you know the why.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. —Pablo Picasso”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Sadly, many people spend their entire lives focusing on the wrong questions. They may pursue money, when they really want happiness. They may pursue the respect of people whose favor is really not worthy of being sought.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Sadly, many people spend their entire lives focusing on the wrong questions. They may pursue money, when they really want happiness. They may pursue the respect of people whose favor is really not worthy of being sought. So before you succumb to the temptation to immediately spring to work on the answer, always stop and first ask, “What’s the real question here?” Often the question that seems obvious may not be the question that leads to effective action.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“the path to change is not through greater willpower and harder work, but rather through thinking differently.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. —Winston Churchill”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten. —B. F. Skinner”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“As you learn more, the fundamentals become at once simpler but also subtler, deeper, more nuanced, and more meaningful.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Remember: Extraordinary people are just ordinary people who are thinking differently—and that could be you. Ordinary”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“It’s not what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you do know that ain’t so. —Will Rogers or Mark Twain or someone else”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“The whole of science is merely a refinement of everyday thinking.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“The depth with which you master the basics influences how well you understand everything you learn after that.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Not every teacher establishes a classroom environment in which student success directly corresponds to becoming an effective learner and innovator. But regardless of any teacher’s skills, students can focus on the goal of developing the lifelong habits that will change them forever.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“good progress is often the herald of great progress.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Effective students and creative innovators regularly strive to uncover the unintended consequences of a lesson learned or a new idea.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“The unchanging element is change—”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“refuse to accept assertions blindly. Challenge everything and everyone—including your teachers. Don’t be intimidated. You are the best authority on what you don’t understand—trust yourself: don’t be afraid to ask the questions you need to ask, and be brave enough to change your thinking when you uncover a blind spot.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Setting a higher bar for yourself for what you mean by understanding can revolutionize how you perceive the world.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“The mind-set that mistakes are poisonous often freezes us into inaction”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Mistakes, loss, and failure are all flashing lights clearly pointing the way to deeper understanding and creative solutions.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“The whole of science is merely a refinement of everyday thinking. —Albert Einstein”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“The simple and familiar hold the secrets of the complex and unknown. The depth with which you master the basics influences how well you understand everything you learn after that. Today,”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“Brilliant students and brilliant innovators create their own victories by practicing habits of thinking that inevitably carry them step-by-step to works of greatness”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

“The right dream. You may dream of creating that one new idea that will solve lots of problems (and lead to fame and fortune). But the better dream is to see yourself standing on what seems to be the summit and climbing higher by taking one small step after another. That modest habit of effective thinking will help you accomplish things you never dreamed possible.”
― Edward B. Burger, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking