Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person

The words of Nolan Bushnell, “Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference,” strike like a clarion call against idleness. In these words, the founder of Atari reminds us that ideas are plentiful, scattered across the minds of all people like stars across the night sky. But stars that are never charted remain only points of light. What matters is not the spark alone, but the act of fanning it into flame. The dreamer who never acts is a prisoner of imagination; the doer transforms imagination into reality.

The ancients knew this truth well. The Greeks honored not only the philosophers who conceived ideas but also the inventors and builders who brought them to life. The Romans carved roads, aqueducts, and cities from visions that began only as thoughts. The wisdom of Bushnell echoes their spirit: the world is not changed by thought alone but by thought put into action. To dream without doing is like planting seed and never watering it—potential without fruit.

Bushnell himself knew this truth through experience. As a young man, he envisioned a world where people could play games on electronic screens, long before video games were a common thought. Yet he did not remain in the realm of “what if.” He acted—he built, he experimented, he failed, and tried again. His efforts birthed Atari, one of the great pioneers of modern entertainment. Many had imagined such things, but only Bushnell stepped from the shower of ideas into the workshop of creation. Thus, his quote is not a mere observation, but the testimony of his own life.

History gives us countless examples. Consider the Wright brothers. For centuries, men dreamed of flight, told stories of Icarus and Daedalus, and envisioned wings for humankind. But it was Orville and Wilbur Wright who moved beyond the dream. They built gliders, tested engines, and faced ridicule. They acted, and by acting, they gave the world the airplane. Likewise, Thomas Edison declared that genius is “one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” The idea is the seed, but labor brings the harvest.

The meaning of Bushnell’s words is both inspiring and demanding. Inspiring, because they remind us that all of us, no matter our station, have ideas. The sparks of creation are not reserved for geniuses or kings. Demanding, because they strip us of excuses. If we fail to act, we cannot blame fate or fortune, for the power to begin rests within us. The difference between mediocrity and greatness is not in the abundance of ideas, but in the willingness to act upon them.

The lesson for us is clear: do not wait for the perfect moment, the perfect resources, or the perfect plan. Begin where you are. Take your idea and give it shape through action. Write the words, build the model, speak the truth, test the vision. Action refines thought, and through effort, what was once vague becomes clear, what was once impossible becomes possible. The one who moves, however falteringly, will go farther than the one who waits endlessly for certainty.

The practical action is this: when inspiration strikes, do not let it fade into memory. Capture it, write it, and take one step—however small—toward making it real. Do not be paralyzed by fear of failure, for failure itself is a form of learning. The difference-makers of history are not those who had the most ideas, but those who dared to act again and again until their vision took form.

Therefore, O listener, remember Bushnell’s wisdom: “Everyone has ideas, but only those who act make a difference.” Do not let your ideas remain prisoners of thought. Set them free through action, for in action lies the power to shape the world, to leave a mark, and to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.