We know the brain must answer every question posed to it, and that one of those answers might be “I don’t know.” What happens then? If we respond by just giving up, nothing is gained. In fact, a lot is lost. In addition to missing out on opportunities, we also reinforce our self-perception of being limited and powerless. If, on the other hand, we simply ask ourselves some good follow-up questions… all shall be revealed!
In truth, any useful answer is a step in the right direction. The key is to keep asking, keep probing, keep drilling down. If you activate your natural curiosity, every answer you get may generate new questions, and then new answers, followed by more questions, and so on, in an ever-rising ladder of understanding. It’s amazing.
– Observations and thoughts by Joseph Deitch.
“I have no particular talent. I am merely inquisitive.”
-Albert Einstein
“Don’t teach your children to read. Teach them to question what they read. Teach them to question everything.”
-George Carlin
“We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers.”
-Carl Sagan
“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.”
-Bill Nye
In Japan, there is a formal follow-up process called “Why Why Analysis.” It was first developed by Sakichi Toyoda and used extensively at Toyota Motors as part of their problem-solving training. It consists of following up every answer with another “Why?” After five levels (yes, five), the questioner feels clearer and clearer and usually arrives at the root cause.
“Curiosity is the beginning of wisdom.”
-Francoise Sagan
“The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.”
-Thomas J. Watson
“The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size.”
-Albert Einstein
“Curiosity and questions will get you further than confidence and answers.”
-Maxime Lagace
“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”
-Voltaire
“The most successful people in life are the ones who ask questions.
They’re always learning.
They’re always growing.
They’re always pushing.”
-Robert Kiyosaki
“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes: He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
-Proverb
