Walter Isaacson Quotes

Vision without execution is hallucination.

Without execution, 'vision' is just another word for hallucination.

I'm very much a creative person, but you've got to do the follow-through. A lot of people start out with an exciting thing and they want to take over the world, but really the people who do take over the world have a good plan of how to get there and the steps along the way.

It's important to have a sound idea, but the really important thing is the implementation.

Action without planning is the cause of all failure. Action with planning is the cause of all success.

A great idea is not enough.

Hope is not strategy. Hope fits with vision, but we must have a strategy and a process to make our vision become a reality.

Having just the vision's no solution, everything depends on execution

In the military, as in any organization, giving the order might be the easiest part. Execution is the real game.

Our visions are the plans of the possible life structure, but they will end in plans if we do not follow them up with a vigorous effort to make them real, just as the architect's plans will end in his drawings if they are not followed up and made real by the builder.

A plan is always successful if the plan is good.

Ideas are cheap. The difficult part is finding the team to execute them.

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.

A leader is the one who can outline the broad vision and the direction, and say here's where we are going to go, here's why we need to go there, and here's how we are going to get there. A manager is the one who actually gets up under the hood and tunes the carburetor.

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.

Sound strategy starts with having the right goal.

Vision with action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.

The best ideas are useless unless carried out.

One man of tolerable Abilities may work great Changes, and accomplish great Affairs among Mankind, if he first forms a good plan, and … makes the execution of that same plan his sole Study and Business.

Execution without a long term strategy leads nowhere. Likewise a long term strategy without execution leads nowhere.

First of all, you've got to have a vision of 'What kind of program do I want to have?' Then you've got to have a plan to implement it. Then you've got to set the example that you want, develop the principles and values that are important, and get people to buy into it.

You can have the best product in the world, you can have the best motivation in the world, you can have best education in the world, you can have all the money in the world - but if you don't have direction, you'll never go anywhere.

Everything depends upon execution; having just a vision is no solution.

The successful leader must plan his work and work his plan.

In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination.