A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas

This article is a quick review of a talk by Warren Berger at Microsoft Research where he presented his book: A More Beautiful Question. The book is about unlocking your inner secrets and ridding of fears to help us innovate by asking a lot of questions. I have not read the book yet, but after watching the talk, I thought that the spirit of it reflected the following quote by Victor Hugo:

Intelligence is the wife, imagination is the mistress, memory is the servant.
― Victor Hugo

Following is the summary of a book.

One of the most powerful forces for igniting change in business and in our daily lives is a simple, under-appreciated tool—one that has been available to us since childhood. Questioning—deeply, imaginatively, “beautifully”—can help us identify and solve problems, come up with game-changing ideas, and pursue fresh opportunities.

Watch the talk, it is well worth it. I will only provide two quotes said by Einstein which highlight the topic of the book and which also made me reassess my own approach to what I do professionally.

If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.
― Albert Einstein

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.
― Albert Einstein