Note: this essay assumes a basic understanding of the collection process for personal knowledge management (PKM) systems.
There is a process to the systematic collection of great ideas. I won't waste time discussing the basic premise of this vital knowledge management technique; suffice it to say that:
Choose who will influence you with care.
The time and location of the author (painter, musician, etc.) are irrelevant. If the idea comes from clay tablets, so be it.
You want the idea, not the words (picture, melody), etc.
I'll explain:
I saw a meme on Facebook featuring a picture of a walk-off home run runner returning to home base. I'm sure you've seen similar pictures— the entire team is gathered about the plate to congratulate him on his hit. The individual who created the meme says he likes to collect these photos because they remind him of what it will be like when we return to heaven. This individual can convey a powerful spiritual idea from a sports picture. I'll never not see a walk-off home run picture again without thinking of heaven.
Collecting (stealing) great ideas involves being curious about our world and collecting those things you love. Some of those things will speak directly to your soul. Some you'll be curious about, and others will be because you like the cadence of the word choices, the artist's rendition of a song, or the color palette choice of a sunset.
Bob Doto wrote a blog article: "(Q&A) I just finished reading a book and took lots of notes. Now what?"[1] Bob (of course) expertly answers the question: "Here's what's missing: your interpretation of the ideas you're capturing."
Here's how I like to interpret my notes.
George Carlin is famous for his pithy observations. One of my favorites is "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."[2] The idea behind Carlin's comical observation is that when part of a group, individuals can sometimes make decisions or take actions they might not consider on their own.[3] Making bad choices is a classic mob mentality. However, Carlin made a career by identifying the general ideas behind the words and conveying them back to people in his unique, witty statements.
"Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music," conveys the idea that people often judge (or at the very least misunderstand) others when they don't share the same perspective (or experiences).
"It's never just a game when you're winning," conveys the idea that winning brings a sense of importance and pride, making the game feel more significant than just a casual activity when you are in the lead.
"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity," conveys the absurdity (contradiction) of using violence to achieve a peaceful outcome.
To name a few of Carlin's (more tame) thoughts and the ideas behind them.
When reading, I want to capture the thought, e.g., "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups," in its original format (this is a reference or literature note), complete with citation, date, UID, etc. However, I really want the idea behind it: "Individuals, when part of a group, can sometimes make decisions or take actions they might not consider on their own." If I try to pass off Carlin's words as my own, that's plagiarism; however, if I use the idea to share a story about doing something stupid in Las Vegas (what happens in Vegas rarely stays in Vegas) just because everyone else was doing it, that's my interpretation of the idea. Get the difference?
I could also create a photo collection of historical events. I could do a deep dive into a riot, where individuals acted irrationally due to being part of the crowd. I could even list mass hysteria events such as the Salem witch trials, where fear and panic led to unspeakable things. All these things allow me to present an interpretation of the idea I collected (stole) from George Carlin.
I could also try to reverse engineer the idea by collecting oddball facts, quirky observations, or inconsistencies on my own as Carlin did, and then (attempt) to create a "pithy" observation. NOBODY will beat George Carlin at his game; however, it can be fun to try. A grocery store chain announced they would stop selling live lobsters until they could find a company that would harvest them humanely. The idea of humanely harvesting lobsters to sell later so customers could throw them into boiling water and eat is like "calling a shark attack a friendly nibble," or "calling a guillotine a gentle head massage."
I could also take my camera out for a stroll and capture pictures that fit my interpretation of: "Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music." Every street dancer understands the glare of someone watching who doesn't hear the music. The pictures, however, don't have to be contained to just dancing. ANYTHING I interpret as conveying the idea that people (animals, e.g., cats are notorious for judging others) judge (or at the very least misunderstand) others fit the bill.
Your archive (portfolio, zettelkasten, digital garden, personal knowledge management system) should contain these (idea) interpretations. Knowing that each idea can give you infinite stories (which should provide you with plenty of writing material for the future), capture words and stories to your heart's content, find the idea behind the words, and make something new.
Thanks for Reading!
Written January 17, 2025
Grammarly provided editorial assistance.
Published simultaneously on Medium.
Footnotes
[1]: Doto, Bob (July 6, 2022) “(Q&A) ‘I just finished reading a book and took lots of notes. Now what?’” https://writing.bobdoto.computer/question-i-just-finished-reading-a-book-and-took-lots-of-notes-now-what/
[2]: Editorial comment: I retrieved the group of George Carlin quotes from bing.com. Retrieved January 15, 2024 from: https://www.bing.com/search?q=george+carlin+quotes&qs=LS&pq=george+carlin+quotes&sc=10-20&cvid=6FDD8F996A8543F3AF522F1C48A497A7&FORM=QBRE&sp=1&ghc=1&lq=0.
[3]: Editorial comment: I use Copilot to help me identify the idea behind the quote. “What is the idea behind: {enter quote}.”