Introducing Happen's second set of quirky innovation quotes to spice up your reports when you can't find any cool maxims from Einstein, Edison or Grouch Marx. Free to copy, distribute and retweet - as long as you refer to Happen.com as your source of inspiration.

"Great innovations versus duds... One is full of flaws, a budget vampire, ruins careers, virtually no chance of success. The other is a dud."

"If doubling your revenue is daunting... Set it at tenfold and it all becomes cosily surreal. Except for 6 month plans becoming 1 month plans."

"If Operational Excellence really were as good as they promise: Heathrow and Gatwick would be the most reliabe airports in the world."

"Only very few survive at the avant-garde of old-fashionism. But those who do, know they've found the holy grail."

"Dreaming up new ideas implies reality put you to sleep."

"Most decision makers need to see a few options first, before they can say "no"."

""We're doing our very best to help stranded passengers with food, drink and free WiFi". Maslow needs revision."

"The guys on the other side of the fence are busy growing greener grass right now."

"Funny things happen when new marketing managers take over a brand & aren't aware what part of the brand promise was truth and what was spin."

"Most business articles & books on succeeding in innovation forget to mention "Willingness to work Saturdays and Sundays"."

"An un-creative person in a beanbag with a funny hat & a Hawaiian shirt on is still exactly that: un-creative. But now with false confidence."

"Don't reinvent a wheel that merely needs reframing."

"When you're confronted with a stunning competitive market introduction, "how did they do that?" is the least of your worries."

"There's always an idea out there that's better than your best idea. Just like there's always one worse than the worst you can imagine."

"Show me five good reasons not to progress a new idea and I'll show you at least another ten."

"You can't blame the other person for being tolerated."

""Ooooh, you meant consumer drrrrrivers!", said the hard-of-hearing research recruiter to her client, from the side of the pool."

"Keep in mind that "untapped consumer drivers" in the UK are on the wrong side of the road."

"Possibly the greatest thing about "breakthrough consumer insight" is that it anagrams to "Thuggish, true-born chain smoker"."

"Speaking of male chauvinism, the pilot on my flight home was a real character. She said we all think in stereotypes."

"Once you've achieved "perfection", the next stage is "promising alternative"."

"I wonder what happens when this tsunami of Y-Gens suddenly all realise they're not geniuses and just as mediocre as us X-Gens before them?"

"Domain names are the new trademarks, but better."

"Opinions will do just fine as long as the truth is unclear. Just don't confuse the two, please."

"CREATIVITY DOESN'T NEED CAPSLOCK."

"Be aware ideas also go through puberty on their way to adulthood."

"Innovation is about repairing stuff you weren't aware was broken."

"The pyramids weren't built top-down either."

"1853, Elisha Otis. I wonder where he pitched his idea for the elevator."

"If things are not working out as planned, you may well have spent too much time planning."

"Prototypes are held together by duct tape, not MS Project."

"There are three critical elements to innovation: 1) time, 2) money, 3) quality and 4) correctly charting the critical elements."

"Turn trend data upside down for a laugh, eg. "24% of successful new food products are organic" > "76% of food intro successes ain't organic""

"Emotions are irrelevant, right up to the moment they hit you."

"Of course, one possible explanation might be there is no explanation. Reality doesn't always have a plot, even when there's Grande Finale."

"Beware of the mischievous normal curve, its tails are fatter than you might think."

"Would you have rated a high Purchase Intent score for all the kitchen appliances (men) and shoes (women) you have in the house? Be honest."

"The most popular idea is not necessarily the best one. Although that all depends on whether you're talking before or after launch."

"Funny how gyms and electric car windows exist in the same societal context."

"Thinking outside your comfort zone doesn't require being uncomfortable. On the contrary. Bring olives and nibbly bits."

"1% inspiration, 99% perspiration, said Edison. Well, if that were really true he would've invented GoreTex."

"Our best flashes of inspiration happen when having shower, which is really practical with the 99% perspiration then kicking in."

"Live like there's no tomorrow - a guarantee to remain stuck in yesterday."

""And that, my friends, is the truth" - market researcher's famous last words"

""The heart of a lion and the mind of a dandelion" = great recipe for creative success."

"The problem with these creative types is they don't see all the barriers we mortals see. And then their ironic remarks to make it worse."

"If you're hoping for things to get better, they will definitely get worse first. Hope is not a strategy."

"I hear it takes about five years to become an overnight success."

"Any idea is only as good as the length of time to find a better one. Hopefully it'll be yours again."

"Pondering over two alternatives is just your conscious mind trying to convince your subconscious that it hasn't made up it's mind yet."

"When things suddenly change, just hold on tight rather than try correcting/controlling it immediately - it could well just be turbulence."

"Starting innovation programs without an end in mind has no purpose. Literally."

"Funny how quality stuff is worth maintaining whilst it's the crappy stuff that actually needs it."

"Good ideas and bad ideas have one thing in common: at first glance, both often look like bad ideas. Or was it the other way around? #unfair"

"If it talks like a quack and ducks like a quack, it's probably a quack."

"Ask not how to make the future more futuristic, ask instead how to make the past more old-fashioned."

"Of course, the trouble with surprises is that they're unexpected. Particularly the ones you hadn't planned for. #BeFutureProof"

"Planning to have an idea while sitting at your desk is no different from answering emails while having a shower."

"A 2nd opinion is just that: an opinion. You choose what your truth will be. How very metaphysical."

"The time-poor cash-rich & the time-rich cash-poor. What if you focus on growing their wealth rather than reducing their poverty?"

"Breakthrough innovation? Sorry, no can do. Implement creative culture change then? Hmmm, let me have a look at that breakthrough again."

"If you're wondering whether that idea is good enough, it probably isn't."

""There are no stupid answers, only stupid people", Mr Garrisson, South Park"

"If your EPD threshold is being just about acceptable in comparison to last year's EPD, you'll end up with a shitty product. #BoiledFrog"

"I'm afraid you'll have to define a little more precisely who "everyone" is."

""Wisdom of crowds"? On average, everyone in the hippodrome loses at the races. "Wisdom of the bookies" is a better source for strategy."

"If you're looking for experts on near future developments, talk to a gambler. They wonder about it all day."

"Once launched, breakthrough innovation has only two possible endpoints: 1) mainstream 2) vintage futurology books"

"Industries succeeding through in-the-box thinking: pizza delivery, caskets, multiple choice input devices and flight data recording."

"That fact something is very unlikely doesn't mean it won't happen. Just like someone always wins the lottery, it's just unlikely to be you."

"Confidence driven by facts and confidence driven by statistics are not the same. But you can pretend it is, as no one seems to know yet."

"Only Generation Y truly understand the importance of Lady Gaga as a cultural phenomenon. Only Generation X understand both need to grow up."

"NLP isn't dead. It just smells funny."

""Get straight to the periphery of the problem" seems to be the preferred approach in today's innovation teams. Hence their 0% success rates."

"Paper: "Two-thirds of UK population is overweight" - finally some good news for the country's ailing pension funds."

"Knowing the n=200 fish in your aquarium really well doesn't mean you can predict fish behaviour in all of the Atlantic."

"If you're wondering what innovation to launch next, just ask yourself what would be your worst nightmare of a competitor's launch. Voila!"

"Representative sample = representative of the peculiar breed of people populating research panels."

"Hey market researcher: try completing one of your own surveys first before complaining about drop-out rates."

"About that last survey you sent out... Imagine how much better it could have been if you'd asked only half the questions?"

"Every solution has a problematic history."

"Finding a solution starts with the simple assumption there is one."

""Emergency procedure" is about as truthful as "Calm panic"."

"Banks not providing credit to small businesses will lead to a new generation of healthier businesses that doesn't need banks. Darwin lives on."

"Innovation becoming mainstream means that at any given point in time, someone, somewhere, is working on the next inflatable umbrella."

"Head in the sand or head in the clouds, both cause back ache after a while."

"Not so long ago, "working hard" and "long hours" were seen as a lack of success. Who spun that around?"

"Pushing new ideas through an organisation: the pain is definitely real. Oh yes. It's just that the cause probably isn't."

"Before launch, do check your original insight was a real one and not some spin you made up long ago just to get the project signed off."

"Best way to learn implementing breakthrough innovation: implement not-so-breakthrough innovation first and see where the system pushes back."

""Tried and Tested" methods are what one reaches for when in panic. Even when they've been proven to fail over and over. Habits die hard."

"Of course the main reason the Z-Generation's so agile in today's tech world is their fingers are still small enough to operate modern phones"

"Why are there no futurologists and/or trend agencies in the Fortune500? There should be if they were any good."

"Bankrupt trend agencies tend to overlook the irony of their situation."

"The more you interpret the data, the further you dwell from the truth, by definition. Your beautiful map is not reality."

"Opportunities almost never present themselves as pie charts."

"Breakthrough only counts after having broken through."

""Less is More" tends to be just less."

"Stay true to your roots, your principles & in twenty years people will finally understand what you really are: old fashioned."

"Funny how you need friends, an accountant & cash to set up a small business, but only friends & an accountant to take over a $5Bn empire."

"If you find yourself needing the word "because" when introducing a new idea to an audience, either the idea or the audience need sharpening."

"Market research stating "XX% of population think that -" should read "XX% of population too polite to ignore market researcher think that -""

"The good thing that success and failure have in common is that they both break the status quo."

"Inventing products without understanding consumer needs is like claiming eggs, flour & milk can only lead to pancakes. Nice, but kinda flat."

"Having to invent a new word to describe your idea is sometimes good but usually very, very bad. Find a good metaphor instead."

"A brand's product portfolio is only as weak as its strongest link."

"Keep a close eye on your competition and be guaranteed to overlook the company that will put you AND the competition out of business."

"Don't assume your Blue Sky innovation won't have any patches of rain."

"The typical number of bridges between FMCG Marketing and Manufacturing teams is either none or one too far."

"For innovators with a large sophisticated toolbox, every problem becomes a complex multi-disciplinary challenge. Sometimes hammers are good."

""Best in category" solutions/people/companies were first "not in category", not "mediocre in category"."

"When was it that we all started assuming there's a simple solution to every problem, regardless of its complexity?"

"Great innovations never perish without worthy successors. Sorry, make that: even great innovations are eventually trumped by better ones."

"Try writing a paragraph of text on innovation without using the letter 'i'. And then you notice a second reason that's difficult."

"When asking yourself ‘Is it feasible?’ the key is understanding that it’s as much about the playing with the ‘it’ as with the ‘feasible’."

"On your quest for the person who can say 'yes' to your idea, you'll meet those who can say 'no' first. Make friends to make it happen."

"In the paper this morning: 'complete lack of creativity in the ways the Arts are funded'. Well, I guess that whatever's free is worthless."

"Great innovations versus duds... One is full of flaws, a budget vampire, ruins careers, virtually no chance of success. The other is a dud."

"The fast track to success for your idea is enabling everyone to take credit for it. Don't forget to smile while it happens."

"Treat every idea with the certainty there will another, better one."

"Dear researcher... When creating a need segmentation study, please segment along customer needs. Not your company's organisational chart."

"The difference between foresight and hindsight is of course that it's all so obvious in foresight."

"Never mistake a fabulous hypothesis, or insight, for the truth. Resist temptation and look for falsification, not more proof you're right."

"Always keep a close eye on your competition and you'll be sure to overlook the new team that puts you both out of business."

"The Next Big Thing is very difficult to spot early, simply because it's often disguised as The Current Small Thing."

"Wouldn't it be great if your last failure was all due to bad luck and your current success is all thanks to your unique style and talent?"

"When gathering confidence for doing new things... Remember to stop doing some old things."

"There are no bad ideas, only unappreciative audiences."

"Nu Skool market research: "Wanna learn even more from your survey? Then let's remove a couple of questions. And don't give me that look.""

"With obesity and poverty expanding globally at the rates they do... isn't predicting today's newborns will all live to be 100 rather naive?"

"If you're struggling to uncover clear needs, cast a narrower net. It's easier finding bankable kitchen needs than home needs than life needs"

"Just like with real children, you sometimes need to discipline your ideas to ensure they grow into mature beings."

""Yes, of course your innovation program will throw up a hurdle. Now stop whining and get over it""

"Remember the days that "the data" would answer your business questions for you? Ahhh... sweet memories, if only it were still that easy."

"Ask yourself: 'revealed' versus 'declared' consumer behaviour... Which is best at uncovering opportunities and which are you using now?"

"The benchmark for new ideas is not what came before, but what comes after."

"By definition, the population sample that's representative for your next opportunity is not representative for the current status quo."

"Market research survey samples are perfectly representative of the population too polite to hang up the phone or ignore the clipboard guy."

"The devil is in the detail. Luckily, the divine is too."

"There's no stopping an idea whose time has gone."

"Decision making on gut instinct may save us time and the bore of post-rationalisation, but it doesn't mean it's less prone to error."

"There are always more reasons in favour of holding another meeting than there are for scrapping an existing one. Like with govt legislation."

"Opportunities without risk only exist in the past. If you see a future opportunity without risk, brace yourself for surprises."

"'Nu Skool' versus 'Old School' market research - the advantage of being 'roughly right' over 'precisely wrong'."

"Market Research is the unsurpassed method of predicting the past."

"Insisting on first-time-right innovation -without detours- is like urging to paddle when you could be sailing. More tiring and much slower."

"Enlightenment comes from small, sweet observations and lamp posts."

"Positioning 101: Don't forget to tell me what your idea compares to and forget about the rest."

"Good ideas tend to take more time to develop than bad ones. Sadly, spending forever developing an idea doesn't guarantee it'll be good."

"Superimposing Henry Ford onto Steve Jobs: "if I'd asked The People what they wanted, they'd 've asked for nothing more than a bigger iPod"."

"Inertia is not an external factor stopping you, nor is paralysis."

"By definition, your first idea is your best idea as it is your only idea. It only gets tough once a second idea hits you."

"Betting on innovation success with traditional market research is like deciding to cross a river because it's on average only 4 feet deep."

"Only in innovation can evolution and creationism comfortably coexist."

""You're one in a million" sounds so much nicer than "there are only about 6,500 other people just like you"."

"Solutions without problems are an even worse time-steal than problems without solutions."

"Just like you shouldn't shop for food on an empty stomach, you shouldn't innovate on an empty development funnel."

"Topping the menu in most bars is their free WiFi, not their food & drink. Just like my ISP offers coupons for pizza delivery deals."

"Right now, somewhere, someone is considering placing an ad for their business in a phone book."

"The day you celebrate having innovated enough, is a day your competitors celebrate too."

"Try imagining Steve McQueen racing the streets of Bullitt's San Francisco in a Toyota Prius - innovation suddenly loses some of its shine."

"Remember, you are higher up the food chain than your computer. Behave accordingly."

"Innovation decisions: one path takes you to endless hard work, missed holidays and possibly divorce. The other path takes you to failure."

"If you suspect a competitor is evolving the category at the fringes, they've probably already revolutionised the core without you noticing."

"Uncovering opportunities is not the same as taking away risk. On the contrary."

"Competitors in your rear view mirror: they may be closer than they appear."

"In hindsight everything is obvious, including the inconceivable."

"If your new ideas aren't impressing the old folks, share some of your old ideas with the new folks."

"If you describe your concept/product's features as benefits, you either love it too much or not enough."

"You can't blame poor innovators for the fact they have so many important meetings to attend."

"Don't expect a serendipitous solution when, you're concentrating really hard to find one."

"I find great ideas usually come in pairs: the first one and then the real one."

"Miracles and Puzzles describe the exactly the same reality, yet the former elicits passive submission and the latter active curiosity."

"Given the low number of historically proven perfect solutions- the one you just came up with will probably be trumped too. Hope it's by you."

"Problems keep you occupied, solutions even more so."

"When people speak of 'dynamic' lifestyles, they often mean the opposite: 'turbulent'. An active way of standing still."

"With the most unexpected forces working against you when innovating in any category, make sure to have at least gravity on your side."

"For ideas to get noticed on a horizon far away, they'll need to be big. Unless there's a trail of smaller ones leading there."

"When creating a vision, too much emphasis on market research will ensure your case is history-proof, not future-proof."

"Cutting cost is not a strategy, being the cheapest is."

"If new ideas were created by processes, JFK would have said "before the end of the decade we will have NASA", not "a man on the moon"."

"Innovation to romantics is complex and mysterious beauty, to rationalists complex yet cerebral fun - meanwhile the empiricists just go do it"

"Just like one creates solutions step-by-step and not instantly, one might as well throw up problems one-by-one rather than all at once."

"Trendspotters and trainspotters have a lot more in common than just the binoculars, cameras, newsletters, clipboards and eleven letters."

"Jobs where creativity is frowned upon: airline pilot, vaccine manufacturer, taxi driver, judge, taxman, garbage collector, son-in-law."

"Innovation: if you knew what to look for, you wouldn't look. At least make sure to know why you're looking before worrying where to look."

"Keep in mind that historical database benchmarks are exactly that: historical. Predicting concept performance had you launched last year."

"The ultimate achievement for any breakthrough innovation is to become bog standard - the sooner, the better."

"For every great idea you put your money on, there are at least ten better ones. But don't worry, you'll find that out in hindsight."

"Your market share growing from 90% to 91% may feel puny, but for the other player that meant 10% to 9% which has 10x the relative impact."

"Not understanding your consumer's motivations is a mutual experience. He/she is thinking you're odd too now."

"Paraphrasing Mother Theresa: "If I research the masses, I'm paralysed by pie-charts. If I listen to individuals, I'm inspired to innovate"."

"A process is as weak as its weakest link. A brand is as strong as its strongest product. So stop navel-gazing and get some good product out."

"Statistical outliers... maybe it's important, maybe it's a fat finger, maybe it's someone joking around with the clipboard guy."

"Privacy is like health, you don't really miss until it you lose it. Teenagers care equally little about both."

"Sending out ever more surveys to raise confidence usually means distributing them amongst ever less ideal respondents."

"If gross margin were really as important as you think it is, your competitors wouldn't make you as nervous as you know you are."

"Put together, a historian and a futurologist know exactly nothing about the present. But the debate will be massively opinionated."

"Just like you avoid certain people because they kill your new ideas - they're avoiding you because you always congest their streamlined processes"

"If you implement creativity like a religion, you'll need miracles to be successful."

"Benefits and quality are remembered long after the price has been forgotten"

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Find the first set of quotes here.