Thomas A. Edison's Quotes

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.

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.

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.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

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

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.

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

There is no substitute for hard work.

The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.

Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.

Discontent is the first necessity of progress.

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

Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.

I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.

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

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!

There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever.

I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.