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p.6 One of the most remarkable failings of human intelligence is the way that we cling to our beliefs and ignore contrary evidence.
p.9 The brilliant thinker is uncomfortable with certainty. He or she is comfortable with ambiguity, with multiple possible explanations and with uncertainty.
p.13 Brilliant thinkers know that assumptions are there to be challenged and they relish defying them.
p.15 The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution. Bertrand Russell
p.15 Sometimes we face problems that are large and complex. In this case it is generally better to resist the temptation to launch in and take action. The serious thinker prefers a more considered approach. Einstein said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend the first 55 minutes analysing the problem and then five minutes on solutions.
p.24-25 Brilliant thinkers never tire of asking questions. They are like children in their endless curiosity.
p.26 Many great ideas are based on combining existing things in new and different ways... Great thinkers constantly look for new ways to combine things.
p.27-28 Combining things is proven to be an excellent way of innovating... Try forcing weird combinations and see what happens... Develop the habit of thinking in combinations. When you see two products ask yourself how they could be combined.
p.30-33 Most of our thinking in the Western world is adversarial. It comes to us from an approach developed by the ancient Greeks. One person has a thesis and others test it with criticism. So, for example, when you propose an idea my natural reaction is to criticize it in order to test the strength of the idea... How can we overcome the limitations of adversarial thinking? One solution is to use parallel thinking, and the best-known tool for doing this is six thinking hats (STH)... The proposal is read out and then everyone puts on the following hats in turn: The white hat. This is the information hat. People can review or ask for more information or data to help analyse the proposal... The red hat. This hat represents emotions and feelings. People have to say how this proposal makes them feel emotionally... The yellow hat. This is the hat of sunshine and optimism. Everyone in turn has to say what is good about the proposal... The black hat is the hat of pessimism. Everyone has to find fault with the idea... The green hat is the hat of growth, creativity and possibilities. Everyone has to suggest ways in which the idea could be adapted or improved to make it work better... The blue hat is the process hat. It is used to check if the process is working well. When you wear it you discuss the method... If someone feels that the meeting is not working well that person can ask that everyone puts on the blue hat and discuss what is working and what is not.
p.34 The [six thinking hats] method is simple to run and remarkably effective in all kinds of meetings... While parallel thinking is usually seen as a group activity there is no reason why you cannot use it with two people or even on your own. Go through each of the hats in turn... You will find that you gain a more rounded view of the problem.
p.44 How can you think of things that no one else thinks of? The answer is by deliberately taking a different approach to the issue from everyone else... there are dominant ideas in every field. The brilliant thinker purposefully challenges those dominant ideas in order to think innovatively.
p.64 PLAY WITH WORDS
Children learn language by playing with words, testing, experimenting, making mistakes and being gently corrected. We should adopt a playful attitude towards words and treat them as friends. Word games will increase your verbal dexterity
p.65 Rudyard Kipling wrote, 'Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind.'
p.105 Prioritize your tasks and focus on the most important.
p.108 Great thinkers allocate time for thinking... By slowing down and deliberately pondering we can gain deeper insights and more profound thoughts. We can refocus on the most important priorities.
p.119 Brilliant thinkers learn in many different ways. They are receptive to new ideas from any source... They do not take things at face value.
p.140-141 While being receptive to a variety of inputs, the brilliant thinker also knows the benefit of being able to focus on just a handful of the most important topics. He or she knows that the greatest payback comes from exercising the mind on the most significant issues and not letting minor tasks get in the way of the major priorities.
p.166 Brilliant thinkers relish the challenge and stimulation of brilliant games... Chess. Chess is the king of games. It represents a pure cerebral struggle between two minds. It teaches strategy, tactics, positional play and the benefits of absolute concentration. Every home should have a set. Every child should learn to play. Everyone can enjoy the challenge.
p.170 How can I approach this problem from a new direction?
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