Expect the Unexpected (Or you won’t find it) by Roger Von Oech

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus was famous for his brilliant and provocative sayings:

“Dogs bark at what they don’t understand.”

“You can’t step in the same river twice.”

“The doctor inflicts pain to cure suffering.”

Today, more than 2500 years ago, his ideas about life, nature and the cosmos remain as original as ever. In expect the unexpected, Roger uses thirty of Heraclitus’ epigrams as springboards to dazzling creativity.

Treating each saying as an in exhaustible source of inspiration, he supplies amusing\ anecdotes, puzzles, mind-bending riddles, hidden jokes and intriguing questions designed to topple old habits of thought and fire the imagination. Drawing on a cornucopia of examples from science, business and the history of invention, as well as from Literature and popular culture, Roger shows how to reverse your expectations, turn change to your advantage, create powerful metaphors and avoid the pitfalls of ‘moreness’ – that is assuming that more is automatically better- to find novel solutions to even the most intractable problems.

Anyone searching for new approaches for problem solving- from managers to students to artists-will find this book a valuable tool. You can treat this book as a one-time read and complete it at one go or use it as a morning meditation or consult the book as a daily Oracle. Expect the unexpected offers a good jolt to the imagination.

Consider this example: Heraclitus says- “It is disease that makes health pleasant, hunger that makes fullness good and weariness that makes rest sweet.”

Roger translates this saying into key creative insights:

“Embrace the necessity of opposites.”

“Consider the opposite viewpoint.”

“Use what’s not there.”

“Ask a Fool.”

Each creative insight is illustrated with many examples that make this book a practical and ready to use toolkit. The entire book displays” business brilliance and gets the mental juices flowing”.

Happy Reading!