We had a much bigger vision than creating a dating site.

When Tom Anderson, the co-founder of MySpace, said, “We had a much bigger vision than creating a dating site,” he was not merely speaking of business or technology—he was voicing the eternal ambition of the creator, the one who dares to dream beyond the narrow expectations of the world. His words rise like a banner for all who build, reminding us that true vision is never confined to utility or profit; it reaches toward something greater—the transformation of human connection itself. In these few words lies a profound truth: that greatness is born not from imitation, but from imagination.

At the dawn of social networking, the world saw only fragments of what such platforms could be. Many viewed them as trivial amusements or as tools of courtship, mere “dating sites” for fleeting affection. But Anderson and his team saw something larger—a new kind of community, an open forum for self-expression and global dialogue. Where others saw romance, he saw relationship in its broadest sense: the weaving together of lives across distance, of music shared, of thoughts exchanged, of creativity set free. His words, then, are not only a reflection on MySpace’s origin, but on the power of vision to transcend limitation.

The ancients would have recognized this spirit well. Consider the story of Leonardo da Vinci, who when asked to paint, imagined flight; when asked to design, envisioned the future. The world asked for portraits, but Leonardo gave the world possibility. So too did Anderson look beyond the simple mechanics of attraction and see a new era of communication. This is the mark of the visionary: to see the invisible patterns that bind humanity together and to shape them into form before others even know they exist. To think beyond the task is to elevate purpose into destiny.

Yet in his statement there is also humility. Anderson does not mock the notion of a dating site; he simply places it within a larger frame. His “bigger vision” acknowledges that while human connection may begin in the personal, its truest power lies in the collective. Love is one form of connection—but friendship, art, and shared experience are the threads that build civilization. Thus, his words become a meditation on breadth of purpose—the ability to see one’s work not as an end, but as the foundation of something vaster, something that touches the human story itself.

But let us also read his words as a challenge to all who create. Too often, we stop at what is expected. We build what is asked of us, not what is needed by the soul of our time. The world says, “Make something useful,” but the wise hear a deeper call: “Make something meaningful.” Anderson’s quote urges us to reject the narrowness of practicality when vision calls for expansion. To think big is not arrogance—it is obedience to one’s potential. For every invention, every movement, every revolution, begins with a person who refuses to stay small.

There is a lesson here, then, for all who labor in any craft: dare to dream past the purpose others give you. Whether you are an artist, teacher, or builder, do not confine your work to the limits of its first form. A painting can awaken thought. A business can shape culture. A platform can build community. The true measure of your work is not what it does, but what it inspires. The narrow-minded will always ask for function; the visionary will always strive for transformation.

So let the words of Tom Anderson endure as a testament to the creative spirit. “We had a much bigger vision than creating a dating site” is not just the memory of a company’s beginning—it is a declaration of faith in the human capacity to dream beyond the obvious. Let every generation remember this: that to follow one’s vision is to plant seeds in unseen soil, trusting that time will reveal the forest they were meant to become. Dream wide, act bold, and let your vision stretch beyond the horizon of what is, toward the shining realm of what could be.