Dare to Be Different: New Ideas Move from Being Ignored to Ridiculed, Opposed, and Accepted

Originally published 2025-09-14Reprinted material (source unconfirmed)

Storage information

Bookmarks and reading positions are stored in this browser. Manage and back them up in My Reading.

Collected in Robin Shen’s Field Notes · Content type and attribution are shown above

English translation of the Chinese post originally published 2025-09-14. Translated 2026-10-30 with AI assistance. Historical figures and claims have not been updated or independently verified. 中文原文

Reading guide

The article says that successful people differ greatly from others. If you think and act like mediocre people, your results will be mediocre too. Greater success requires thinking and acting differently, with the courage to swim against the current and question deeply entrenched popular views. All new ideas and innovations, it says, pass through four stages: being ignored, ridiculed, opposed, and accepted.

Key points

Greater success requires thinking and acting differently.
Have the courage to swim against the current and question popular views.
Four stages of a new idea: ignored, ridiculed, opposed, accepted.

One clear path continues into the distance among several branching routes, suggesting choice and focus. — Entrepreneurship & strategyThematic illustration · AI generated

Full text — English translation

Dare to be different. There is an enormous difference between successful people and others. If you think and act like mediocre people, your results will also be mediocre. To become more successful, you must think and act differently. To do that, you must dare to be different. Have the courage to swim against the current and question deeply entrenched popular views. All new ideas and innovations pass through four stages: First, they are ignored. Then, they are ridiculed. Next, they are opposed. Finally, they are accepted.

These articles are personal notes, book excerpts, and collected reprints. Figures and events reflect the time of the original publication, are not current information, and do not constitute investment advice.

Reader comments

What did this article make you think about? Different perspectives and constructive criticism are welcome.

Comments are public immediately. Do not include personal contact details or external links. Automated checks block suspicious solicitation, prohibited transactions and spam; they can make mistakes.

Comments load when you reach this section.