“There’s always another problem behind the one you just solved. Does that mean that you should stop solving problems?”

—  Larry Niven , book Flash Crowd

Flash Crowd, section 7, in Three Trips in Time and Space (1973), edited by Robert Silverberg, p. 65

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "There’s always another problem behind the one you just solved. Does that mean that you should stop solving problems?" by Larry Niven?
Larry Niven photo
Larry Niven 138
American writer 1938

Related quotes

Shigeru Miyamoto photo

“A good idea is something that does not solve just one single problem, but rather can solve multiple problems at once.”

Shigeru Miyamoto (1952) Japanese video game designer and producer

Source: Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/shigeru-miyamoto-interview Eurogamer.net, published on 31 March 2010

George Pólya photo

“If you cannot solve the proposed problem, try to solve first a simpler related problem.”

George Pólya (1887–1985) Hungarian mathematician

Mathematical Methods in Science (1977), p.164

Nathan Seiberg photo

“Whenever you work on something and try to solve one problem, and you end up helping or solving many other problems, it is a sign that what you are doing is good.”

Nathan Seiberg (1956) American physicist

as quoted by Sandhya Ramesh in: [Interview: 'There's No Conflict Between Lack of Evidence of String Theory and Work Being Done on It', The Wire, Bengaluru, 7 January 2018, https://thewire.in/science/theres-no-conflict-lack-evidence-string-theory-work-done]

Šantidéva photo
Masaaki Imai photo

“When you solve one problem, you will see ten more.”

Masaaki Imai (1930) Japanese business theorist and consultant
Douglas Adams photo
Matt Ridley photo

“Evolving is not a goal but a means to solving a problem.”

Matt Ridley (1958) economist

Source: The Red Queen (1993), Ch. 2. The Enigma

Mark Kac photo

“I then reached for a time honored tactic used by mathematicians: if you can't solve the real problem, change it into one you can solve.”

Mark Kac (1914–1984) Polish-American mathematician

Source: Enigmas Of Chance (1985), Chapter 6, Cornell II, p. 122.

Related topics