1. “Creativity in life is about saying yes to new ideas.” – Nolan Bushnell
2. “We didn’t do a square ball in ‘Pong’ because we thought it was cool. We did it because that was all we could do.” – Nolan Bushnell
3. “Being successful is kind of dull.” – Nolan Bushnell
4. “A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” – Nolan Bushnell
5. “People hate to and will not read instructions.” – Nolan Bushnell
6. “Everybody believes in innovation until they see it. Then they think, ‘Oh, no; that’ll never work. It’s too different.’” – Nolan Bushnell
7. “I like games where you can use stealth and guile. As you get older, it’s like the difference between playing squash and racketball. Squash is an older man’s game, because if you’re stealthy and wily, you can beat a better-co-ordinated and stronger, younger person.” – Nolan Bushnell
8. “Any business that does not innovate will fail over time.” – Nolan Bushnell
9. “Creativity is every company’s first driver. It’s where everything starts, where energy and forward motion originate. Without that first charge of creativity, nothing else can take place.” – Nolan Bushnell
10. “A good game is easy to learn but hard to master.” – Nolan Bushnell
11. “The best ideas lose their owners and take on lives of their own.” – Nolan Bushnell
12. “I don’t think people understand how much hard work innovation is. That it’s not just getting an idea. You really have to cross your T’s and dot your I’s long before you ever start on the project. I don’t think people perceive that about me. I work hard.” – Nolan Bushnell
13. “A lot of people think that success is luck and being in the right place at the right time. But I think if you’re willing to work harder than anybody else, you can create an awful lot of your own luck.” – Nolan Bushnell
14. “Young adults love to play games and they’re thirsty for social interaction, but a lot of bar and restaurant experiences are quite unsatisfactory on the social level.” – Nolan Bushnell
15. “I’m glad to see the casual game play coming back now on the Internet, games that aren’t violent, that aren’t complex that you can sit down and you can have some fun.” – Nolan Bushnell
16. “My perception is that I’m a guy who really does a lot of homework surrounding any project that I do.” – Nolan Bushnell
17. “We’re moving away from a credentialed society to a merit society.” – Nolan Bushnell
18. “I founded Atari in my garage in Santa Clara while at Stanford. When I was in school, I took a lot of business classes. I was really fascinated by economics. You end up having to be a marketeer, finance maven and a little bit of a technologist in order to get a business going.” – Nolan Bushnell
19. “I appreciate the fact that technology and games are a big part of life.” – Nolan Bushnell
20. “Every one who has taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it that makes a difference.” – Nolan Bushnell
21. “The truth is just an excuse for lack of imagination.” – Nolan Bushnell
22. “The ultimate inspiration is the deadline” – Nolan Bushnell
23. “I think in terms of businesses, in terms of things that are really big and marry technology with entertainment. That’s where I like to spend my time.” – Nolan Bushnell
24. “If you don’t hire at least one or two people that are smarter than you are, then you’re a terrible manager and I don’t need you.” – Nolan Bushnell
25. “Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference.” – Nolan Bushnell
26. “Being your own boss is much superior to working for the man. Including working for your father.” – Nolan Bushnell
27. “I believe that in games, when you’re talking about pitting my wits and my brain against your wits and your brain, that simplicity of the game becomes a dominant factor.” – Nolan Bushnell
28. “If you’re willing to work harder than anybody else, you can create your own luck.” – Nolan Bushnell
29. “Business is a good game – lots of competition and a minimum of rules. You keep score with money. ” – Nolan Bushnell
30. “If you really want you people to innovate, buy a science fiction book, tear off the covers, and tell them it’s history.” – Nolan Bushnell
31. “Hire for passion and intensity; there is training for everything else.” – Nolan Bushnell
32. “I always try to do something nobody else has done.” – Nolan Bushnell
33. “I must confess I’ve always had a couple of pinball machines in my home and really have enjoyed some of the old classics, like Fireball.” – Nolan Bushnell
34. “The subtle generational cues that make one thing cool and another uncool aren’t always obvious to a parent. My children are my dinner-table sounding board. I’ve come up with some wonderful ideas that they universally dismissed as ‘lame.’” – Nolan Bushnell
35. “When you’re building something, you know all of the trade-offs.” – Nolan Bushnell
36. “The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” – Nolan Bushnell
37. “I’ve always thought legal addictions are a great way to create a business. Starbucks is a wonderful example.” – Nolan Bushnell
38. “I’m the only one who was predicting the Nintendo Wii would beat Sony’s PlayStation 3.” – Nolan Bushnell
39. “Video games in some ways are too powerful, they have too much resonance with kids. And it’s very easy to overdose on video games and to let the outside world go by.” – Nolan Bushnell
40. “I think ‘Something Ventured’ is a nice piece because it celebrates venture capital in a unique and powerful way. Nolan Bushnell” – Nolan Bushnell
41. “The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but three are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” – Nolan Bushnell