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Top 20 Russell L. Ackoff Quotes (2025 Update)

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Successful problem solving requires finding the right solution to the right problem. We fail more often because we solve the wrong problem than because we get the wrong solution to the right problem.”

1. “Successful problem solving requires finding the right solution to the right problem. We fail more often because we solve the wrong problem than because we get the wrong solution to the right problem.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Featured in: Decision-Making Quotes, Problem-Solving Quotes

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “The objective of education is learning, not teaching.”

2. “The objective of education is learning, not teaching.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Featured in: Lifelong Learning Quotes, Teaching Quotes

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “It is far better to do the right thing wrong than to do the wrong thing right.”

3. “It is far better to do the right thing wrong than to do the wrong thing right.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “The more efficient you are at doing the wrong thing, the wronger you become. It is much better to do the right thing wronger than the wrong thing righter. If you do the right thing wrong and correct it, you get better.”

4. “The more efficient you are at doing the wrong thing, the wronger you become. It is much better to do the right thing wronger than the wrong thing righter. If you do the right thing wrong and correct it, you get better.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “No problem stays solved in a dynamic environment.”

5. “No problem stays solved in a dynamic environment.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “To manage a system effectively, you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than their behavior taken separately.”

6. “To manage a system effectively, you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than their behavior taken separately.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Creativity is the ability to identify self-imposed constraints, remove them, and explore the consequences of their removal.”

7. “Creativity is the ability to identify self-imposed constraints, remove them, and explore the consequences of their removal.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution.”

8. “A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “In systems thinking, increases in understanding are believed to be obtainable by expanding the systems to be understood, not by reducing them to their elements. Understanding proceeds from the whole to its parts, not from the parts to the whole as knowledge does.”

9. “In systems thinking, increases in understanding are believed to be obtainable by expanding the systems to be understood, not by reducing them to their elements. Understanding proceeds from the whole to its parts, not from the parts to the whole as knowledge does.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Managers who don’t know how to measure what they want settle for wanting what they can measure.”

10. “Managers who don’t know how to measure what they want settle for wanting what they can measure.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Errors of omission, lost opportunities, are generally more critical than errors of commission. Organizations fail or decline more frequently because of what they did not do than because of what they did.”

11. “Errors of omission, lost opportunities, are generally more critical than errors of commission. Organizations fail or decline more frequently because of what they did not do than because of what they did.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Nothing is harder to topple than a fact that supports a deeply held prejudice denied by its holder.”

12. “Nothing is harder to topple than a fact that supports a deeply held prejudice denied by its holder.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Art inspires, produces an unwillingness to settle for what we have and a desire for something better. It is the product and producer of creative activity, change; it is essential for continuous development.”

13. “Art inspires, produces an unwillingness to settle for what we have and a desire for something better. It is the product and producer of creative activity, change; it is essential for continuous development.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “So much time is currently spent in worrying about the future that the present is allowed to go to hell.”

14. “So much time is currently spent in worrying about the future that the present is allowed to go to hell.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “The lower the rank of managers, the more they know about fewer things. The higher the rank of managers, the less they know about many things.”

15. “The lower the rank of managers, the more they know about fewer things. The higher the rank of managers, the less they know about many things.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Unless people can express themselves well in ordinary English, they don’t know what they are talking about.”

16. “Unless people can express themselves well in ordinary English, they don’t know what they are talking about.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “The future is better dealt with using assumptions than forecasts.”

17. “The future is better dealt with using assumptions than forecasts.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Our ability to solve problem is limited by our conception of what is feasible.”

18. “Our ability to solve problem is limited by our conception of what is feasible.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “It is the satisfaction we derive from ‘going there’ in contrast to the satisfaction derived from ‘getting there.’ Recreation provides ‘the pause that refreshes.’ It recreates creators.”

19. “It is the satisfaction we derive from ‘going there’ in contrast to the satisfaction derived from ‘getting there.’ Recreation provides ‘the pause that refreshes.’ It recreates creators.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “Exams do not assess anything significant to the future of children, because no one knows how to assess or measure the key factors to the future success of any person, child or adult. They are a closed system; tests exist for their own sake. They measure the ability of the entire school community – children, parents, teachers, administrators – to focus all their efforts on producing good results on tests! Nothing more, nothing less. To.”

20. “Exams do not assess anything significant to the future of children, because no one knows how to assess or measure the key factors to the future success of any person, child or adult. They are a closed system; tests exist for their own sake. They measure the ability of the entire school community – children, parents, teachers, administrators – to focus all their efforts on producing good results on tests! Nothing more, nothing less. To.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “All through school, we are shown that making a mistake is a bad thing, something for which we are downgraded. This reveals how little conventional schools are interested in learning, because we never learn by doing something right; we already know how to do it. Doing it right does confirm what we already know, and this has some value, but it contributes nothing to learning. We.”

21. “All through school, we are shown that making a mistake is a bad thing, something for which we are downgraded. This reveals how little conventional schools are interested in learning, because we never learn by doing something right; we already know how to do it. Doing it right does confirm what we already know, and this has some value, but it contributes nothing to learning. We.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “The result is a book that cannot be read easily. It requires study. We hope that some will have the patience and inclination to do so.”

22. “The result is a book that cannot be read easily. It requires study. We hope that some will have the patience and inclination to do so.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff Quote: “You rarely improve an organisation as a whole by improving the performance of one or more of its parts.”

23. “You rarely improve an organisation as a whole by improving the performance of one or more of its parts.”

— Russell L. Ackoff

Lifelong Learning Quotes

Lifelong Learning Quotes

Decision-Making Quotes

Decision-Making Quotes

Problem-Solving Quotes

Problem-Solving Quotes

Teaching Quotes

Teaching Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Lifelong Learning Quotes

Lifelong Learning Quotes

Decision-Making Quotes

Decision-Making Quotes

Problem-Solving Quotes

Problem-Solving Quotes

Teaching Quotes

Teaching Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Motivational Quotes

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Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS INSPIRATIONAL

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Positive Quotes

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Albert Einstein Quotes

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Steve Jobs Quotes

Steve Jobs Quotes

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Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

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