Ben Horowitz Quotes

We live in an instant-coffee world. Sometimes real-world solutions take a little longer.

There are no big problems, there are just a lot of little problems.

I'd be wary of simple solutions to complex problems.

People are tired of simple things. They want to be challenged.

Early on, in discussions of financial oversight, people would say, 'Well, this is a very complicated problem, therefore it requires a complicated solution.' And at that step, I would say, 'Well, wait a minute. Just because it's a complicated problem doesn't mean the best course of action immediately is one that's complicated.'

It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.

There is no silver bullet. I know people in Washington want grand solutions for everything.

There are many people who want simple solutions, but there are none ... nor will there be.

There are no simple solutions to today’s problems.

The world is complicated. But does every problem require a complicated solution?

The problem is that we attempt to solve the simplest questions cleverly, thereby rendering them unusually complex. One should seekthe simple solution.

If simple, painless solutions to public problems existed, they would have been found long ago.

Complexity has and will maintain a strong fascination for many people. It is true that we live in a complex world and strive to solve inherently complex problems, which often do require complex mechanisms. However, this should not diminish our desire for elegant solutions, which convince by their clarity and effectiveness. Simple, elegant solutions are more effective, but they are harder to find than complex ones, and they require more time, which we too often believe to be unaffordable

There is no silver bullet. There are always options and the options have consequences.

Our goal is to try to bring a calm and simplicity to what are incredibly complex problems so that you're not aware really of the solution.

Our agenda, by necessity, is as complex and encompassing as the problems we face: beware of politicians promising simple solutions.

As intuition grows, the need to make problems and see complications starts to dwindle.

There is no problem so complicated that you can't find a very simple answer to it if you look at it right.

Given that we cannot know all the elements in a problem, we never can solve it.

We fail when we try to give simple answers to complicated problems.

..things are never as complicated as they seem. It is only our arrogance that prompts us to find unnecessarily complicated answers to simple problems.

The more complex the world situation becomes, the more scientific and rational analysis you have to have, the less you can do with simple good will and sentiment.

We are trying to make the world a better place, but that is not necessarily what we accomplish. Many of the problems which preoccupy us are basically insoluble.

The art of programming is the art of organizing complexity.

Unfortunately, simplistic framing of problems leads to simplistic answers.