13 disruption quotes to kick-start your own innovation

Disruption is one of those words that gets thrown around an awful lot. Every startup wants to be the next Uber and established businesses are scrambling to ensure they don’t get replaced by the next disruptive startup. As is often the case with buzzwords and any topic the hype machine gets hold of, the true meaning of disruption seems to have been lost recently.

The term disruption or more specifically, disruptive innovation as we think of it today is often accredited to Clayton Christensen and Joseph Bower in a paper for the Harvard Business Review all the way back in 1995. They defined disruptive innovation as a process where an inexpensive new product is launched and gradually overtakes the existing market leaders. Today, disruption is often used synonymously with both innovation and transformation.       

Regardless of the word’s over/misuse, there’s no denying that we are in an era of disruption. From Amazon to Apple, and of course Uber, disruptive innovation is happening at a staggering rate. While disruption is an easy topic to chat about and the innovations that cause it seem like common sense once they gain popularity, few tasks are more difficult or require greater dedication than disrupting a stagnating industry.

 So, to help inspire you to keep striving to create innovation, I’ve put together this list of 13 amazing quotes about disruption. Enjoy.  

 Gabor George Burt

“Meaningful innovation does not need to be based on outright invention. Rather, there is an exhilarating shortcut. It is based on bold, new combinations of already existing components that simultaneously unlock heightened levels of consumer value and reduce costs.” 

Travis Bradberry

“Influential people are never satisfied with the status quo. They’re the ones who constantly ask, ‘What if?’ and ‘Why not?’ They’re not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom and they don’t disrupt things for the sake of being disruptive; they do it to make things better.” 

Richard Branson

“There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you.” 

Dale Carnegie

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

Clayton Christensen

“The reason why it is so difficult for existing firms to capitalize on disruptive innovations is that their processes and their business model that make them good at the existing business actually make them bad at competing for the disruption.”

Steve Jobs

“You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.”

 Guy Kawasaki

“Great companies start because the founders want to change the world… not make a fast buck.”

 Ash Maurya

“Life’s too short to build something nobody wants.”

 Phil McKinney

“When it comes to innovation, an ounce of execution is worth more than a ton of theory.”

 Elon Musk

“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”

 Heather Simmons

“Those who disrupt their industries change consumer behavior, alter economics, and transform lives.”

 Jay Samit

“Disruptors don’t have to discover something new; they just have to discover a practical use for new discoveries.”

 And my personal favorite…

 William Pollard

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.”