Systems Quotes

Making systems is a way to make meaning, to back up your memory, to refresh it, and to live in a more intense way.

Dominique Loreau

An idea is a network.

Steven Johnson

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. The inverse is also true. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system.

John Gall

When I find something I value, I systematize it into my daily habits. Then I live by my values freely and effortlessly.

Joshua Spodek

Errors are part of the process, but they shouldn’t become part of the pattern.

James Clear

Do the simplest thing first and add functionality later.

You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.

James Clear

A device that enables comprehension of received data is ordering: some form of arrangement and organization. Patterns are the visual representation of this, and can be thought of as infinitely extendable systems that reduce the occurrence of the extraneous and provide a semblance of control.

As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Simple, clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behaviour. Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behaviour.

Dee Hock

It is common to misconceive how checklists function in complex lines of work. They are not comprehensive how-to guides, whether for building a skyscraper or getting a plane out of trouble. They are quick and simple tools aimed to buttress the skills of expert professionals. And by remaining swift and usable and resolutely modest, they are saving thousands upon thousands of lives.

Atul Gawande

Under conditions of complexity, not only are checklists a help, they are required for success.

Atul Gawande

Coming up with a precise method will prevent you from getting distracted, from feeling that you haven’t done enough or have forgotten something.

Dominique Loreau

I must create a system, or be enslaved by another mans.

William Blake

You must decide whether you want a DO-CONFIRM checklist or a READ-DO checklist. With a DO-CONFIRM checklist, he said, team members perform their jobs from memory and experience, often separately. But then they stop. They pause to run the checklist and confirm that everything that was supposed to be done was done. With a READ-DO checklist, on the other hand, people carry out the tasks as they check them off—it’s more like a recipe. So for any new checklist created from scratch, you have to pick the type that makes the most sense for the situation.

Atul Gawande

One essential characteristic of modern life is that we all depend on systems—on assemblages of people or technologies or both—and among our most profound difficulties is making them work.

Atul Gawande

The volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly, safely, or reliably.

Atul Gawande

Good checklists are precise. They are efficient, to the point, and easy to use even in the most difficult situations. They do not try to spell out everything - a checklist cannot fly a plane. Instead, they provide reminders of only the most critical and important steps - the ones that even the highly skilled professional using them could miss. Good checklists are, above all, practical.

Atul Gawande

Efficiency comes from peace of mind, and peace of mind can be achieved, quite simply, by having a reliable organizational system.

Dominique Loreau

When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running.

James Clear

The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game.

James Clear

Fix the system, not the symptom.

You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.

James Clear

True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement.

James Clear

If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

James Clear

Strategy often beats sweat.

James Clear