A bit of advice…to students

To paraphrase something I tell my students, especially when they are starting a research project –

There are certainly many people in the world who think better than us. But the competition reduces when it comes to the people who take their thoughts and ‘do’ something with them. Novelty of ideas is in the novelty of connections of ideas. There is always more scope for new connections of old ideas.

Generally, the game is won not in out-thinking, but in out-doing. This does not mean that doing excludes thinking. In fact, many times, doing fosters thinking.