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Debunking the Myths

Quantity vs. Quality 1

A ceramics teacher splits a class into two groups. She judges one group on the quality of their work. The other is judged on quantity, i.e. how many vessels they produce. A few weeks later, something weird happens: The highest-quality products were created by the group judged on quantity, not quality.

Why? The “quantity” group was busy making things and learning from their failures, while the “quality” group (make a few beautiful pots!) spent its time drafting and theorizing, and produced nothing. The lesson here is that quantity and quality are not antithetical to one another. Instead, making lots of things (as long as you’re trying to get better and monitoring your progress) leads to a higher-quality product over time.

  1. https://blog.medium.com/find-opportunity-in-what-other-people-undervalue-e5849a7e86ef ↩