About this quote

Innovation looks like madness to people who prefer the comfort of the status quo. When you try something different, expect neighbors and coworkers to laugh or shake their heads. Will you pack up your project just because they call you crazy? History is built by outliers who ignored the snickers and kept working in their garages. The line between a fool and a genius is simply a working prototype.

When to use it

• You are pitching a radical new software architecture to your engineering team, but everyone else wants to stick to the old, slow codebase. You recall this thought to keep your confidence up during the presentation.
• A friend mocks your plan to open a business selling gourmet dog food out of a repurposed horse trailer. You laugh off their doubt, knowing every great startup sounded weird at first.
• Your biology professor questions your unusual thesis topic on urban mushroom farming. You use this perspective to fuel your late-night lab sessions until you prove the hypothesis.
• Your relatives roll their eyes when you decide to build a tiny house and live off-grid. You keep building anyway, knowing they will only understand once they see the finished home.