--- title: Learning to Innovate description: To “see beyond the tracks laid down” to the “broader future that there is to create” canonical: https://time.com/3735605/learning-to-innovate/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-11T11:00:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:15:29.527Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Learning to Innovate og:description: To “see beyond the tracks laid down” to the “broader future that there is to create” og:url: https://time.com/3735605/learning-to-innovate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6004d16fa8859a4b/6987828ce20a8760ada85755/538277515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: lightbulb-crumpled-paper og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Learning to Innovate twitter:description: To “see beyond the tracks laid down” to the “broader future that there is to create” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6004d16fa8859a4b/6987828ce20a8760ada85755/538277515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Learning To Innovate by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Mar 11, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  Light bulb crumpled paper on blackboard - Idea Concept Background Light bulb crumpled paper on blackboard - Idea Concept BackgroundGetty Images by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Mar 11, 2015 11:00 AM UTC Peter Thiel is an entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded PayPal and Palantir. He also made the first outside investment in Facebook and was an early investor in companies like SpaceX and LinkedIn. And now he’s written a book, [Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0804139296&asin-it=0804139296&asin-fr=0804139296&asin-de=0804139296&asin-uk=0804139296&asin-ca=0804139296&asin-com=0804139296), with the goal of helping us “see beyond the tracks laid down” to the “broader future that there is to create.” Zero To One is an exercise in thinking. It’s about questioning and rethinking received wisdom in order to create the future. Here are eight lessons I took away from the book. **1\. Like Heraclitus, who said that you can only** [**step into the same river once**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/10/heraclitus-fragments/)**, Thiel believes that each moment in business happens only once.** --- > “” --- **2\. There is no formula for innovation.** --- > “” --- **3\. The best interview question you can ask.** --- > “” --- What does this have to do with the future? --- > “” --- **4\. A new company’s most important strength** --- > “” --- **5\. The first step to thinking clearly** --- > “” --- _“Madness is rare in individuals_ _—but in groups, parties, nations and ages it is the rule.”_ _— Nietzche (before he went mad)_ --- > “” --- Here is an example Thiel gives to help illuminate this idea. --- > “” --- **6\. Progress comes from monopoly, not competition.** --- > “” --- **7\. Rivalry causes us to overemphasize old opportunities and slavishly copy what has worked in the past.** Marx and Shakespeare provide two models that we can use to understand almost every kind of conflict. --- > “” --- **8\. Last can be first** --- > “” --- Grandmaster José Raúl Capablanca put it well: to succeed, “you must study the endgame before everything else.” [Zero to One](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0804139296&asin-it=0804139296&asin-fr=0804139296&asin-de=0804139296&asin-uk=0804139296&asin-ca=0804139296&asin-com=0804139296) is full of counterintuitive insights that will help your thinking and ignite possibility. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/)**_._** **Join over 50,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/)**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3735605/learning-to-innovate/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3735605/learning-to-innovate/"},"headline":"Learning To Innovate","datePublished":"2015-03-11T11:00:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:15:29.527Z","description":"To “see beyond the tracks laid down” to the “broader future that there is to create”","url":"https://time.com/3735605/learning-to-innovate/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6004d16fa8859a4b/6987828ce20a8760ada85755/538277515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6004d16fa8859a4b/6987828ce20a8760ada85755/538277515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"lightbulb-crumpled-paper","caption":"lightbulb-crumpled-paper","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3735605/learning-to-innovate/","name":"Learning To Innovate"}}]}] ```