Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing

“Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” Thus spoke Herbert A. Simon, the thinker who bridged the worlds of science, design, and human understanding. His words strike not only as definition, but as revelation — a reminder that design is not the secret art of a chosen few, but the natural act of every soul who seeks to shape the world rather than be shaped by it. In this truth lies both power and responsibility, for it tells us that to live is to design, and to design is to transform.

In ancient times, the poets and philosophers would have nodded at Simon’s wisdom. For they too knew that the greatest work of design is not a temple or a tool, but the act of intention — the moment when thought turns into purposeful creation. When the farmer shapes his fields so the soil may breathe, he designs. When the healer blends herbs to ease pain, she designs. When the statesman writes laws to bring order to chaos, he too is a designer. For design is not confined to the craftsman’s hand; it lives in the mind that envisions change, in the heart that wills improvement.

Simon spoke these words in a time when design was being redefined — when machines, systems, and organizations began to require the same creative discipline once reserved for artists. Yet beneath his modern insight lies an ancient current: that intelligence is creative, and creativity is moral. Every act of design begins with a recognition — that the world as it is, is not yet as it could be. To devise a course of action is to declare faith in the possibility of betterment. Thus, every design, from the humblest tool to the grandest city, is an act of hope.

Consider the tale of Florence Nightingale, who saw the suffering of soldiers not as fate, but as a problem to be redesigned. She arranged hospitals so that air could flow, light could reach the wounded, and cleanliness could triumph over disease. She devised a course of action that turned despair into recovery, death into healing. She was not called a designer, yet she embodied Simon’s truth — she changed an existing situation into a preferred one. Her legacy endures, not as decoration, but as living design: practical, compassionate, transformative.

In this light, Simon’s words strip away illusion. Design is not only in the studio or the architect’s sketch; it is in the daily acts of decision. The parent who teaches with patience, the teacher who sparks curiosity, the worker who finds a better way to build — all are designers in their realm. The difference between passivity and creation lies in one simple thing: the will to act. For the world is full of existing situations — some broken, some incomplete — and it waits for those who will imagine what could be, and move toward it.

But there is also warning in his words. To design without thought is to wound the world; to act without vision is to add confusion to chaos. The ancients knew this too — that creation demands wisdom. Prometheus brought fire to man, but without restraint, fire devours. The designer must therefore be both dreamer and steward — shaping change not for vanity, but for harmony. To devise rightly, one must know both what is and what ought to be, and bridge them with purpose and care.

So let this be your lesson, traveler in the art of living: you are always designing. With each choice, you shape your world; with each word, you alter its direction. Ask yourself each day: What is the situation before me? What could it become? What will I do to bridge that space? These questions are the heart of design — and of life itself. To design is not to escape the world, but to engage with it bravely, lovingly, and with intention.

And remember, as Simon taught, that design is not a privilege — it is a calling. You need no title, no tools, no permission. You need only the courage to envision better and the discipline to act upon it. Every great transformation began with someone who looked upon what was and whispered, “It can be otherwise.” Be that voice. Be that hand. For the world, in all its imperfection, awaits your design.