Meaning Of The Man With A New Idea Is A Crank
The above quote “The man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds” is by Mark Twain.
It means whenever you try to introduce something new, you will get resistance.
(Following The Equator: A Journey Around The World By Mark Twain, Jazzybee Verlag, 1971, Ch.XXXII, Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar, P. 137)
People will reject or scoff at your new idea. To the extent of even calling you a crank (an eccentric person).
Unless and until your idea is proven to be a success.
This is a normal and common phenomenon. It is very natural for people to oppose, scoff at or reject to anything they have not thought of themselves.
To quote English mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, “…almost all really new ideas have a certain aspect of foolishness when they are first produced.”
(Science And The Modern World By Alfred North Whitehead, Simon And Schuster, 1967, Ch.III The Century Of Genius, P. 47)
For instance, there is this guy called Ken Ahroni, who became a millionaire producing plastic wishbones.
If you would to suggest this rather odd business idea to someone even today, they might still call you a crank.
You can read his interesting story of how Ahroni came out with this ridiculous idea back in 1999 and strike rich by selling fake wishbones!
Here is a selection of authentic verified Mark Twain quotes.