"See, I'd argue that you can make someone think outside of the box if they're prepared to do what's needed to do so. Both examples you gave are examples of people thinking outside of the box. "The box" is basically where you end up when you've been stuck looking at the same thing from the same perspective. Thinking outside of the box requires you to move to a new perspective...both examples you gave do that and both are possible for anyone to accomplish (to some degree) if you tell them how." - Zee.