Edward de Bono

Edward de Bono – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life, work, and enduring influence of Edward de Bono, the pioneer of lateral thinking. Learn about his early years, methods like the Six Thinking Hats, and his powerful quotes on creativity and thought.

Introduction

Edward de Bono stands as one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th and early 21st centuries in the domain of creativity, thinking, and innovation. Though often described in shorthand as a “psychologist” or creative thinker, his contribution spans medicine, education, philosophy, consultancy, and more. He is best known for introducing the concept of lateral thinking—a method to break out of conventional thought patterns—and for tools such as the Six Thinking Hats. His ideas have been adopted globally in business, education, and government, and his writings continue to inspire new ways of approaching problems today.

Early Life and Family

Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono was born on 19 May 1933 in Malta, then a British colony. He grew up in a multilingual, multicultural environment characteristic of Malta at the time, where British, Maltese, Italian, and Mediterranean influences mingled.

He attended St. Edward’s College in Malta for his early schooling. While not much is widely documented in biographical sources about his earliest childhood passions, it is clear that from a young age he became fascinated by how the mind works, by language, and by the constraints of habitual thinking.

Youth and Education

After his schooling in Malta, de Bono pursued medical training at the University of Malta, earning his medical degree. Rhodes Scholarship and went to Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied psychology and physiology. Cambridge University.

During his academic years, he also engaged in activities such as canoeing (setting records) and representing Oxford in polo. His academic and extra-curricular record reflected a person who not only excelled in traditional studies but also appreciated exploration, challenge, and pushing limits.

Career and Achievements

From Physician to Thought Leader

Though trained as a physician, de Bono’s interests gradually expanded into the mechanics and methodology of thinking itself. He held faculty appointments at universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, London, and Harvard. University of Malta, the University of Pretoria, and others.

He founded or led institutions including the World Center for New Thinking (2004–2011) based in Malta, aiming to apply thinking tools to global and geopolitical challenges.

Key Concepts and Tools

Lateral Thinking

Perhaps de Bono’s signature innovation, lateral thinking refers to deliberately approaching problems from new, non-obvious angles—rather than purely stepwise, logical (vertical) thinking. The Use of Lateral Thinking (1967), he introduced the term and laid out techniques for generating alternative perceptions and breaking out of entrenched patterns.

De Bono argued that many mistakes in thinking stem not from poor logic, but from limitations in perception—if one can shift perception, one can find new solutions.

Six Thinking Hats & Parallel Thinking

In 1985, de Bono published Six Thinking Hats, a method for structuring group thought processes by assigning different “modes” of thinking (represented by colored hats) to successive stages of discussion.

Rather than adversarial debate, the method promotes parallel thinking—everyone “wears” the same hat at the same time, focusing on a specific dimension of thought in turn.

Other Contributions

• The Mechanism of Mind (1969) presented a model of mental patterns and how the mind reinforces habitual paths of thinking.

• He developed the CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) program for teaching thinking skills in schools.

• Other books include Po: Beyond Yes and No, How to Have a Beautiful Mind, Serious Creativity, Lateral Thinking for Management, and more than 80 additional titles translated into dozens of languages.

Influence, Recognition, and Later Years

His book The Use of Lateral Thinking has been called one of the 12 most influential books since World War II by The Sunday Times.

De Bono also held the Da Vinci Professor of Thinking chair at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona.

He passed away on 9 June 2021, aged 88.

Historical Milestones & Context

• 1967: The Use of Lateral Thinking published, introducing the term.

• 1970: Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step — further elaboration of the concept.

• 1985: Six Thinking Hats introduced the parallel thinking framework.

• Over subsequent decades, de Bono’s methods were integrated into organizational training, education curricula, and management consulting around the world.

• His thinking frameworks emerged at a time when problem solving and innovation were becoming critical competitive differentiators in business and policy, helping shift focus from just analyzing to deliberately shaping new directions.

Legacy and Influence

Edward de Bono’s legacy endures in multiple ways:

• Educational adoption: Many schools and universities teach aspects of lateral thinking or the CoRT program as part of critical thinking curricula.

• Corporate and organizational use: The Six Thinking Hats method remains a popular tool in workshops, strategy sessions, and team decision-making.

• Global reach: His books have been translated into dozens of languages, and his ideas are cited across business, government, non-profit, and creative sectors.

• Mindset shift: De Bono helped popularize the notion that thinking is a skill that can be nurtured, designed, and practiced—rather than an inborn talent alone.

• Critique and debate: While many praise his practical approach to thinking, some critics argue that empirical validation of his methods is limited. Nevertheless, his influence lies not in rigid proof but in opening minds to structured creativity.

Personality and Talents

De Bono was known to be intellectually adventurous, curious, and determined to push beyond conventions. His willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries—from medicine to philosophy to management—reflects a polymathic temperament. He was also a communicator: able to present complex ideas in clear forms (e.g. hats, patterns, tools) that practitioners could adopt.

He reportedly enjoyed owning private islands—he once said, “I just like islands, that’s all” — and built retreats for seminars and “psychological space.” This perhaps illustrates his desire for both peaceful reflection and creative incubation.

His writing style tends to balance clarity, metaphor, and provocation: he often challenges assumptions and encourages readers to rethink even their most basic beliefs.

Famous Quotes of Edward de Bono

Here are some of his most enduring and thought-provoking sayings (arranged thematically):

On Thinking & Creativity

• “Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learned.”

• “Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic.”

• “The mind can only see what it is prepared to see.”

• “Sometimes the situation is only a problem because it is looked at in a certain way. Looked at in another way, the right course of action may be so obvious that the problem no longer exists.”

On Change, Openness & Perception

• “If you never change your mind, why have one?”

• “A discussion should be a genuine attempt to explore a subject rather than a battle between competing egos.”

• “The quality of our thinking will determine the quality of our future.”

On Ideas & Risk

• “It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.”

• “An expert is someone who has succeeded in making decisions and judgements simpler through knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore.”

• “Humour is by far the most significant activity of the human brain.”

Lessons from Edward de Bono

1. Thinking is a skill, not just a talent
   De Bono challenged the idea that only some people are “creative” or “good thinkers.” He proposed that with method and practice, everyone can improve their thinking—especially in how they generate, shift, and refine ideas.

2. Perception is as important as logic
   Many problems are not about lacking data, but about seeing the right data. Changing perspective can reveal new solutions that logic alone cannot.

3. Structure fosters freedom
   The paradox in de Bono’s approach is that by giving constraints (Six Hats, lateral techniques), one can free thinking from its own blind spots. Structure doesn’t hamper creativity—it enables it.

4. Doubt and flexibility are virtues
   He urged that no belief, method, or “sacred way of doing things” should be beyond reconsideration. A mind that never questions its own assumptions is vulnerable.

5. Apply thinking consciously
   De Bono’s methods are not meant to be theoretical, they are meant to be used. Problems at work, in policy, in daily life—they all benefit from thinking deliberately rather than drift.

Conclusion

Edward de Bono left a legacy far greater than any single book or method: he offered a new way to approach thought itself. By emphasizing lateral movement away from fixed paths, by giving tools to structure creativity, and by insisting that thinking can be taught and improved, he shifted how countless individuals, organizations, and systems handle complexity, ambiguity, and change.

His life, from Malta to Oxford to global influence, was a testament to crossing boundaries—intellectual, geographic, cultural—and opening new spaces for mind. As you explore his writings, try applying his methods in small ways: impose a hat, challenge a perception, or ask a “what if” question you wouldn’t have considered before. In doing so, you carry forward his mission: not to accept that the world is a certain way, but to explore how it could be better.

Explore more of his quotes, dig into Six Thinking Hats or Serious Creativity, and let your own thinking evolve beyond the habitual.