A Quote by George Polya
Solving problems is a practical skill like, let us say, swimming. We acquire any practical skill by imitation and practice. Trying to swim, you imitate what other people do with their hands and feet to keep their heads above water, and, finally, you learn to swim by practicing swimming. Trying to solve problems, you have to observe and to imitate what other people do when solving problems, and, finally, you learn to do problems by doing them.
Related Quotes
Solving problems is a practical art, like swimming, or skiing, or playing the piano: you can learn it only by imitation and practice.
When people come to you with problems or challenges, don't automatically solve them. As a mama bear, you want to take care of your cubs, so you tend to be protective and insulate them against all those things. But if you keep solving problems for your people, they don't learn how to actually solve problems for themselves, and it doesn't scale. Make sure that when people come in with challenges and problems, the first thing you're doing is actually putting it back to them and saying: "What do you think we should do about it? How do you think we should approach this?".
Solving problems is fine, but it has gotten to the point of being a global obsession. We somehow have it in our heads that if we solve all of the problems, we can sit back and enjoy the easy life. But in reality, we become lazy and complacent. And that's when we get flooded with even bigger problems.
Solving problems—actually solving them, not just claiming you do—solving perceived, urgent problems, is a surefire way to get the world to beat a path to your door.
Most people will solve the problems they know how to solve. Roughly speaking they will solve B+ problems instead of A+ problems. A+ problems are high impact problems for your company but they're difficult problems.
Most of us are experts at solving other people's problems, but we generally solve them in terms of our own and the advice we give is seldom for other people but for ourselves.
It is in the whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has meaning. Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and our wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. It is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that we learn.
It may seem like sort of a waste of time to play 'World of Warcraft' with your son. But you're actually interacting with each other. You're solving problems. They may seem like simple problems, but you're solving them. You're posed with challenges that you have to overcome. You're on a quest to gain certain capabilities.
I now know that I learn by solving problems as they arise. Rarely do we learn significant lessons, or significantly improve, any other way.
I like solving problems, and science provides a logical way of solving real-life problems.
Anarchism is surprisingly effective in solving actual problems largely because anarchists have thought a lot about solving actual problems on a micro level in ways that other political ideologies don't really feel they have to until after they seize state power.
Engineers, medical people, scientific people, have an obsession with solving the problems of reality, when actually ... once you reach a basic level of wealth in society, most problems are actually problems of perception.
Progress is obtained only by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems. When you solve problems, all you do is guarantee a return to normalcy.
If you wish to learn swimming you have to go into the water and if you wish to become a problem solver you have to solve problems.
We are at a critical point where rapid change is forcing us to look not just to new ways of solving problems but to new problems to solve.
Problems are a major part of life. Don’t whine about why you always have problems…get on with the solving. Take it from someone who has been there–the solving gets easier as you go along.
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