Leonardo da Vinci

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Embrace Interdisciplinary Knowledge

  Learning

  True mastery comes from combining diverse fields like anatomy, light, botany, and geology to enhance a single product or craft.

  Source Wikipedia: Leonardo da Vinci  (opens in a new tab)

• Embrace non-linear work rhythms

  Productivity

  Creative breakthroughs often require periods of intense, non-stop focus followed by days of reflection rather than a steady, daily grind.

  Source Wikipedia: Leonardo da Vinci  (opens in a new tab)

• Document Daily Observations

  Productivity

  He maintains a lifelong habit of recording every observation, from mundane lists to complex inventions, ensuring no idea is lost.

  Source Wikipedia: Leonardo da Vinci  (opens in a new tab)

• Preserve Intellectual Assets Long Term

  Strategy

  Maintain detailed records and physical artifacts as they become more valuable and useful for analysis over centuries.

  Source Wikipedia: Leonardo da Vinci  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize Accuracy Over Speed

  Productivity

  A practitioner must master the precision and quality of their work before attempting to increase their output speed.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source A Treatise on Painting  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid the chaos of unorganized knowledge

  Productivity

  A vast collection of insights is useless if it remains an unorganized mass that is never prepared for publication or action.

  Source A Treatise on Painting  (opens in a new tab)

• Use Randomness to Spark Invention

  Creativity

  Look at chaotic or stained surfaces to find patterns and ideas that the conscious mind might not have conceived on its own.

  Supporting quotes

  • “By these confused lines the inventive genius is excited to new exertions.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Leverage Contrast for Visibility

  Brand

  Understand that light parts of an object send stronger visual signals than dark parts, which can distort proportions if not managed carefully.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Endeavour to vary the colour of meadows, stones, trunks of trees, and all other objects, as much as possible, for Nature abounds in variety _ad infinitum”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Combine Known Elements for Innovation

  Creativity

  To make something imaginary appear natural, one must combine individual parts that are realistically modeled after known, existing entities.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Remember/, that when, by the exercise of your own judgment, or the observation of others, you discover any errors in your work, you immediately set about correcting them”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Study Unpolished Nature

  Learning

  True characteristic operations are learned from unpolished subjects, as education tends to assimilate and hide natural peculiarities.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source A Treatise on Painting  (opens in a new tab)

• Use rules for correction not creation

  Productivity

  Theoretical rules should be used to audit and fix errors after the initial work is done, rather than being applied so rigidly during the process that they cause paralysis.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid mindless imitation

  Mindset

  Practicing a craft without understanding the underlying 'why' leads to mechanical results that lack consciousness and depth.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete  (opens in a new tab)

• Match presentation to material

  Strategy

  Different surfaces react to light differently; similarly, different business problems require specific approaches based on their inherent nature.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Heigh light or lustre on any object is not situated [necessarily] in the middle of an illuminated object, but moves as and where the eye moves in looking at it.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Distinguish original from borrowed value

  Learning

  Differentiate between inherent qualities and those reflected from external sources to accurately assess a situation.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete  (opens in a new tab)

• Standardize Through Direct Observation

  Learning

  Create a reliable guide for your work by measuring and recording how reality changes at specific intervals using a fixed point of reference.

  Supporting quotes

  • “It is the light side of an object in light and shade which shows the true colour.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Seek the Ideal Average

  Decisions

  Instead of relying on a single outlier, observe a large group and select the most balanced and graceful example to set your standards.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete  (opens in a new tab)

• Seek Universal Proportional Constants

  Product

  Establish fixed ratios between different components to ensure consistency and quality, even when the scale changes.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete  (opens in a new tab)

• Counteract Force with Equal Opposition

  Resilience

  To stop a powerful momentum or change direction, one must generate a contrary force of equal magnitude.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid Overlapping Complexity

  Product

  Do not present elements in a way that creates visual confusion, such as shadows falling on transparent surfaces that blur outlines.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Never paint leaves transparent to the sun, because they are confused; and this is because on the transparency of one leaf will be seen the shadow of another leaf which is above it.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Categorize for Faster Recall

  Productivity

  Breaking down complex subjects into standard types, such as the ten types of noses, makes it easier to recognize and memorize features quickly.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete  (opens in a new tab)