Thomas A. Edison

“The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”

“The body is a community made up of its innumerable cells or inhabitants.”

“Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.”

“Discontent is the first necessity of progress.”

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”

“Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth.”

“There's a way to do it better - find it.”

“Anything that won't sell, I don't want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”

“Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.”

“Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t.”

“Nature is what we know. We do not know the gods of religions. And nature is not kind, or merciful, or loving. If God made me — the fabled God of the three qualities of which I spoke: mercy, kindness, love — He also made the fish I catch and eat. And where do His mercy, kindness, and love for that fish come in? No; nature made us — nature did it all — not the gods of the reli”

“We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything.”

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

“Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.”

“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

“It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.”

“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.”

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”