How to Think Like One of the Most Successful Inventors of All Time
The “Wizard of Menlo Park”
Although he died in 1931 at the age of 84 years old, he remains one of the most famous and prolific inventors of all time. Known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” he had little formal education as a child, attending school for only a few months! His mother home-schooled him in reading, writing, and arithmetic. His biography states he “was always a very curious child and taught himself much by reading on his own.”
During his lifetime he acquired 1,093 patents: 389 for electric light and power alone. He was also issued 195 patents for the phonograph, 141 patents for batteries, and 34 for the telephone.
His name was Thomas Alva Edison. While Edison did not invent the lightbulb as so many believe, he did perfect it. More importantly, he imagined power generation and distribution, which were required to bring the world into the modern age of light. In fact, he founded what was to become one of the largest companies in the world, General Electric.
Let’s look at some of Edison’s most famous quotes. I have arranged them in groups and in an order that will help you get the most out of each.
Stick-to-itiveness
“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are: hard work, stick-to-itiveness, and common sense.”
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t. I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
“There’s a way to do it better. Find it.”
“Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business. Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward!”
-
“Never get discouraged if you fail. Learn from it. Keep trying.”
“I start where the last man left off.”
“There is far more opportunity than there is ability.”
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
-
“Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work.”
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”
“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless
“Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly. The scope of thrift is limitless.”
Ideas
“To have a great idea, have a lot of them.”
“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
“Great ideas originate in the muscles.”
“Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.”
-
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
“Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”
Intelligence
“I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exists — proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision.”
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
“His genius he was quite content in one brief sentence to define; Of inspiration one percent, of perspiration, ninety-nine.”
-
“Never stop learning. Read the entire panorama of literature.”
“Learn with both your head and hands.”
“Not everything of value in life comes from books- experience the world.”
“The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.”
Work
“There is no substitute for hard work.”
“I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.”
“I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.”
“What you are will show in what you do.”
“Your worth consists in what you are and not in what you have.”
-
“I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.”
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
“The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”
-
“Hell, there are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something.”
“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”
“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
-
“One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But… I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.”
“When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.”
“Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.”
I recommend picking up a copy of Edison’s biography for a fascinating read. Edison had much to say about being persistent to get results. Take his words and his wisdom and apply them to your work and your life. Develop some stick-to-itiveness! You never know what invention you might create!
Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION.
Thank you for reading this article! If you enjoyed it, please check out others below.
