Jens Martin Skibsted Quotes

Powerful Jens Martin Skibsted for Daily Growth

About Jens Martin Skibsted

Jens Martin Skibsted (born 1964) is a renowned Danish designer, engineer, and professor, whose work has significantly contributed to the fields of design, material science, and sustainability. Born in Denmark, Skibsted developed a passion for design and innovation at an early age, which led him to pursue studies in both engineering and design. Skibsted's career took off when he co-founded KiBiSi Design Studio in 1998 with Bjarke Ingels (architect) and Thomas Müller-Larsen (product designer). The studio quickly gained recognition for its innovative and sustainable designs, working on projects for various international brands. In 2007, Skibsted co-founded the Material Research Unit (MRU) at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation, where he currently serves as a professor. MRU focuses on researching new materials with reduced environmental impact, aligning with Skibsted's commitment to sustainability. One of Skibsted's most notable works is the design of the LEGO ReForest, an initiative aimed at planting trees in exchange for digital LEGO sets sold online. This project highlights his dedication to creating designs that have a positive environmental impact. Skibsted has received numerous awards for his work, including the Danish Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award. His influence extends beyond design, as he is frequently invited to speak at international conferences about sustainable design practices. Skibsted's life and work serve as an inspiration for designers who aim to create innovative solutions while maintaining a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Innovation is often the result of people not accepting things as they are."

This quote by Jens Martin Skibsted highlights the importance of questioning the status quo and pushing for change, rather than simply accepting things as they are. Innovation, in this context, refers to progress or improvement that comes from challenging existing norms, systems, or ideas. It suggests that a willingness to question and a desire for improvement drive individuals to create new solutions, technologies, or ways of thinking that advance society. The quote underscores the role of curiosity, critical thinking, and persistence in driving innovation and fostering progress.


"The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it."

This quote by Jens Martin Skibsted emphasizes the importance of vision, creativity, and practical execution in shaping our future. It suggests that individuals or groups with the ability to envision a better tomorrow, design realistic plans for achieving this vision, and then execute those plans effectively, will be the ones who significantly influence the course of events in the future. In essence, it encourages us to think boldly, act creatively, and work diligently if we want to shape a brighter future for ourselves and others.


"Don't let fear of failure or the unknown stop you from moving forward. Take calculated risks."

This quote by Jens Martin Skibsted emphasizes the importance of taking calculated risks, despite the presence of fear or uncertainty in the journey ahead. It encourages individuals to press forward, seizing opportunities that seem daunting but have potential benefits. The message is that avoiding risk due to apprehension could lead to stagnation and missed opportunities for growth and success. Instead, it's crucial to evaluate each opportunity carefully before making a decision, ensuring that the risk taken is calculated and well-informed.


"Creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly."

This quote emphasizes the importance of consistently practicing creativity, much like how physical muscles grow stronger through exercise. It suggests that creativity, as a skill or cognitive function, requires regular use to maintain its strength and effectiveness. By engaging in creative activities on a regular basis, we can foster our ability to think outside the box, generate novel ideas, and solve complex problems more effectively.


"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

This quote, attributed to Jens Martin Skibsted, emphasizes that one's future is not predetermined but shaped by personal actions and decisions. It encourages individuals to take control of their lives, set goals, and work towards realizing them, as this will ultimately shape the course of their future. Essentially, it suggests that rather than passively waiting for the future to unfold, one should actively participate in its creation.


Urban mobility is a massive global challenge. The world needs people to use multiple forms of transport - a mix of biking, walking, and other low-energy forms of transportation.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Other, Needs, Mobility, Biking

A company's ethical behavior is ultimately triggered by some sense of caring. And care is a sense of closeness to someone or something. A company must bring value to whom or what it is close to.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Sense, Some, Bring, Closeness

Anyone can dream up great ideas, but an idea is nothing until it's realized, be it as a website, a physical product, an app, or a user interface.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Website, Product, App, Interface

I don't think that artificial intelligence means doomsday, and I think many new jobs will be created, too. However, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that these new types of jobs will favor low-income demographics. We need to address the needs of those who will be left out of the new job market.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

However, Increasingly, Unlikely

The sun doesn't always shine; the wind doesn't always blow. This is why, if we want to rely on renewables, we need intelligent systems that integrate and coordinate different sources of energy at scale so that when one is scarce or unavailable, the others can automatically compensate.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Why, Scale, Sources, Automatically

Who needs Russian gas if we could get all the heat we need from our own surplus? Who needs Middle Eastern oil, when we can integrate limitless renewable sources in our smart grids?

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Heat, Own, Middle Eastern, Integrate

Major global institutions need to harvest clean tech knowledge wherever it can be found and integrate it into their major export systems.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Harvest, Need, Tech, Integrate

Neoliberalism became the leading economic ideology in the U.S. and in the U.K. during Ronald Reagan's and Margaret Thatcher's mandates. In this way, the leaders of the free world offered a viable solution to the economic crisis at the time: competition, deregulation, outsourcing, to name a few buzz words that have since become common place.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Leading, Became, Reagan, Mandates

Curbing pollution and global warming takes a global cooperative mindset. Development aid needs to be rethought in this context.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Mindset, Development, Needs, Cooperative

Leisure activities such as contemplation, going for a stroll or a bike ride boost our overall health, wellbeing, and creativity.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Health, Going, Stroll, Contemplation

Immigrants are not the main threat to the industrialized world's workforce: robots are - or, rather, artificially intelligent robots are.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

World, Rather, Main, Industrialized

The industrialized countries that came to dominate post-slavery have caused the climate to change.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Change, Caused, Came, Industrialized

Being design-led means designers take ideas from the abstract to the concrete, from potential to real value.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Concrete, Means, Designers, Real Value

The road to energy efficiency is, in theory, a sustainability sweepstake. More efficiency means that less fuel is required to generate a given amount of energy, which in turn means lower costs for the provider and cheaper prices for the customers.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Which, Means, Given, Generate

I've seen many of those brand collaborations where, basically, the only point is sticking on a Gucci sticker. That degrades good brands.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Brands, Collaborations, Many, Sticker

Regardless of our political stance, we cannot afford to perpetuate the Western car-centric model.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Political, Afford, We Cannot, Perpetuate

From NASA putting a man on the moon to DARPA developing what later became the Internet, the U.S. government, through a host of different public agencies, has provided direct financing not only of basic research but also public venture capital; both Apple and Tesla have received direct public funding.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Through, Capital, Became, Financing

The nature of design is to synthesize disparate perspectives and create a richer end product through collaboration and iteration.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Nature, Product, Through, Richer

Cities are complex and contain just about any thing or concept ever invented by humans. How the city is built, its topography, and how close you live to your work and a grocery store affects your mobility.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

City, Mobility, Concept, Topography

Effective altruism is a philosophy and social movement which tries to work out the most effective ways to improve the world. Effective altruists - conform to old-school utilitarian principles - consider all causes and actions, and then act in the way that they believe brings about the greatest positive impact.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Believe, About, Tries, Utilitarian

Design is a powerful factor in communication between disciplines and stakeholders and can transform knowledge into creative, human-oriented solutions that can promote companies' and countries' competitive ability and foster innovation and growth.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Innovation, Solutions, Factor

It is widely accepted and understood that consumer decisions are as much influenced by emotional attachments to a product or service as by factors like price and performance. So why is it that when it comes to most aspects of human transportation, the world still seems to believe people are rational machines?

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Why, Influenced, Aspects, Consumer

A structured design approach can heighten the hit rate in the fuzzy front end of innovation processes in public and private sectors.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Innovation, Processes, Structured

Obviously, not all migration relates to global warming, but the correlation is higher than most would think.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Think, Relates, Obviously, Migration

Just imagine how many more cyclists could help save our cities and prevent further global warming by adopting electric bikes, if they received strategic and financial support similar to electric car drivers.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Financial, Save, Strategic, Drivers

Citizens have long been easily influenced by the opinions of others and sought social proof, but social media have amplified the phenomena to unprecedented heights. As digital devices permeate every aspect of our lives, it has boosted the way in which information can distort truth.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Media, Influenced, Been, Unprecedented

Design has become a universal medium for expressing ideas, raising fundamental questions, and addressing social challenges.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Social, Raising, Addressing, Fundamental Questions

Our houses, shops, and factories waste gigantic amounts of energy, often in the form of excess heat. How do we slash this waste? The answer is fairly simple: with a smart thermal water grid.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Heat, Waste, Fairly, Grid

We inadvertently keep oppressing Africans when we label them by an approximated color - and even when we confuse a specific socio-cultural group such as the Afro-Americans with Africans.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Color, Label, Them, Inadvertently

The debate on climate change has been tainted by its excessive concern with individual and national interests, short-termism, and lack of solidarity in face of global threats.

- Jens Martin Skibsted

Change, Individual, Been, National Interests

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