The 75 best phrases of Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a famous American inventor, electrician and physicist, born in 1856 in the city of Smiljan, Croatia.
His scientific contributions and inventions went a long way in driving the second industrial revolution. The character of this inventor, his rivalry with Thomas Edison and the mystery that surrounded him, made him one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century and today he is one of the most idolized scientists of the history.
- It may interest you: "125 quotes by Albert Einstein about science and life"
Phrases and reflections of Nikola Tesla
Being able to know the thoughts and ideas directly from this inventor's own words is something that you can do with our selection of 75 Nikola Tesla quotes, which you will find below. You cannot miss them!
- And you can also read: "75 phrases for entrepreneurs for business success"
1. Our first efforts are purely instinctive, of a vivid and undisciplined imagination.
When we begin to investigate science we are all newbies, time will determine our success.
2. Mutual understanding would be greatly facilitated by the use of a universal language.
A universal language would be something tremendously useful for human beings, it would greatly enhance our social relationships.
3. The idea came like a flash of lightning and in an instant, the truth was revealed.
The ideas were presented to this inventor in a totally fleeting way, nor did he know where they came from.
4. If I was lucky enough to achieve any of my ideals, it would be in the name of all humanity.
Throughout his entire career, Tesla always wanted to improve the quality of life for all human beings.
5. Our strengths and weaknesses are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, the man does not exist.
As Tesla very well tells us in this quote, our strengths and weaknesses define who we are.
6. Iron is by far the most important factor in modern progress… its name is synonymous with utility.
Iron is a basic material for the construction of almost anything useful. The human being has been using it for thousands of years.
7. All my money I have invested in experiments to make new discoveries that allow humanity to live a little better.
Tesla invested all his money in his own inventions, when he died he was tremendously poor.
8. The sun is the spring that manages everything. The sun preserves human life and supplies all human energy.
The sun supplies great energy daily to all humanity, Tesla predicted in this appointment the rise of renewable energy.
9. I wish to announce that in connection with the commercial introduction of my inventions, I will be rendering general professional services as a consulting engineer and electrician.
Tesla was a great inventor, but above all he was a born worker.
10. All praise for Edison's vigorous and pioneering work is small, but everything he has done has been forged in familiar and passing ways.
The rivalry between these two great inventors was evident from minute one. They gave reasons for more than one headline with their disputes.
11. As a son of my homeland, I believe that it is my duty to help the city of Zagreb in all aspects with my advice and work.
Tesla always remembered his origins and was permanently clear about where he came from.
12. Moderate exercise, which ensures a correct balance between mind and body, as well as greater efficiency in performance is, of course, a primary requirement.
A very practical advice that we should all remember, because exercise is health.
13. Whiskey, wine, tea, coffee, tobacco, and other such stimulants are responsible for shortening the lives of many, and should be used sparingly.
Vices greatly deteriorate human health, we must not fall into them in order to be more successful.
14. Throughout space there is energy... it is a mere matter of time until men succeed in their mechanisms related to harnessing that energy.
The control and manipulation of energy is something that has always interested humans, starting with fire and ending with nuclear energy.
15. Most people are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are totally oblivious to what is going on within themselves.
We must be honest with our own emotions, we must know how to take care of them and discard those that are not positive for us.
16. Religious dogmas are no longer accepted in their orthodox meaning but each individual clings to a faith, in a supreme power of some kind.
The conception of God can be different in each one of us, we all really want to have something to hold on to.
17. So we find that the three possible solutions to the great problem of increasing human energy are answered in three words: food, peace, work.
Social welfare is something that all great inventors have always pursued, Tesla was no exception.
18. Forecasting is risky. No one can guess the distant future. Progress and inventions evolve in different directions than anticipated.
The future is totally uncertain, nobody really knows what will happen tomorrow or what path humanity will take in the future.
19. Poor observation is simply a form of ignorance and is responsible for many unhealthy notions and many stupid ideas that prevail.
To be able to observe efficiently, we must be able to understand what we observe.
20. Science is but a perversion of itself, unless its ultimate goal is the betterment of humanity.
Being able to improve the quality of life of all humanity must be the main reason why we develop a science.
21. The progressive development of man is vitally dependent on invention; It is the most important product of his creative brain.
Inventions substantially improve the quality of life of all people, these are essential in our evolution as a civilization.
22. We crave new sensations but quickly become indifferent to them. The wonders of yesterday are the ordinary events of today.
The human being adapts extremely quickly to new inventions, without a doubt we have a great capacity to adapt to everything new.
23. Energy is work. Increasing the force that accelerates human movement therefore means developing more work.
With the second industrial revolution, our society managed to improve the quality of life of all its citizens.
24. It is essential for the peaceful existence of humanity as a whole that a common conception prevail.
It is up to all of us as individuals and our nations, that the human being is better in the future than it is today.
25. Alternating current, especially high-frequency currents, passes surprisingly freely even through slightly rarefied gases.
The rivalry between alternating and direct current was the flame that fueled the confrontation between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.
26. Movement involves a body that is moved and a force that propels it against resistance.
This scientist also studied physics, a field in which he defended himself with great ease.
27. The future will show the results and will judge each one according to his achievements.
Tesla knew that society in the future would value his ideas and concepts, far beyond how he did now.
28. Our senses allow us to perceive only a small portion of the outside world.
The human being is limited to his own senses, there are many things that we do not perceive but that are actually there.
29. An inventor's effort is essentially about saving lives.
For any inventor, his greatest achievement is being able to help humanity.
30. Wireless technology will provide closer contact by transmitting information, moving our bodies and materials, and transporting energy.
In his quotes we can see how Tesla already predicted the arrival of the internet and mobile phones.
31. Women will not first claim their equality and then their superiority through mere physical imitation of men, but through the awakening of their own intellect.
Women were treated like second-rate people in those days, something that certainly could not be allowed.
32. My method is different. I don't rush to real work. When I have an idea, I start by shaping it in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements and operate the device in my mind.
Inside his mind, Tesla had everything necessary to be able to create his inventions, without a doubt he was possessed of great genius.
33. The distance, which is the main impediment to the progress of humanity, will be completely overcome, in word and deed. Humanity will be united, wars will be impossible, and peace will reign across the planet.
With today's globalization, distances are no longer an impediment, and humanity can evolve much faster.
34. Instinct is something that transcends knowledge. We undoubtedly have some very subtle fibers, which allow us to perceive truths where logical deduction or any other stubborn effort of the brain is in vain.
Instincts are what sometimes guide us in our lives, trying to ignore them will be totally in vain.
35. One can feel a sudden wave of sadness and rake their brain for an explanation, when he could have realized that it was caused by a cloud that did not let the rays of the Sun.
During his life, Tesla lived many emotional ups and downs, without a doubt he was a really complicated person.
36. We must all have an ideal that governs our behavior and ensures satisfaction, but it is irrelevant that it is of a creed, an art, a science or anything else, as long as it fulfills the function of a force dematerializing.
Having a reason to live for can greatly simplify our existence, and it can also help us channel our efforts.
37. His ultimate goal is the complete domination of the mind over the material world and the harnessing of the forces of nature in favor of human needs.
The human being tries by all means, including his intellect, to be able to develop the maximum potential of him as a species.
38. Edison's work on the incandescent lamp and direct current distribution system, more than that of an inventor, was that of an extraordinarily energetic pioneer endowed with the robustness of a horse: prodigious in quantity, but not creative.
In this quote Tesla in a subtle and polite way, leaves the famous Thomas Edison in a bad place. They certainly didn't like each other.
39. If we want to avoid imminent catastrophe and a state of affairs that can transform this planet into hell, we should push the development of flying machines and the wireless transmission of energy without delay, and with all the power and resources of the nation.
Tesla thought that the State should put all its efforts into technological development, something that nations do today in a much more effective way.
40. Through this system, for example, a telephone subscriber here could call another subscriber in the world and talk to him. An inexpensive receiver, no bigger than a watch, would allow you to listen from wherever you were, on the ground or in the sea, a talk or a piece of music that is being broadcast elsewhere, no matter how far away.
As we can see, for Nikola Tesla, mobiles were something totally feasible, his imagination will never cease to amaze us.
41. Not only this, but through television and telephony we will be able to see and hear each other so perfectly as if we were face to face, even though the distances that they measure are thousands of kilometres. The instruments by which we will be able to do this will be astonishingly simple compared to our current phone. They can be carried in the vest pocket.
In this appointment Tesla already imagined smartphones and video calls, without a doubt this inventor was decades ahead of his time.
42. Meeting Edison was a memorable event in my life. I was astonished by this wonderful man who, without privileges or scientific training, had achieved so much. I had studied a dozen languages, delved into art and literature, and had spent my best years in libraries reading everything. that fell into my hands, from Newton's Principia to Paul de Kock's novels, and I felt that he had squandered most of my life.
Tesla in this quote tells us about Edison's lack of training and shows us his surprise at his achievements.
43. He considers me one of the most dedicated workers and if thinking is an equivalent of the task perhaps I am, since I have devoted almost all my waking hours to him. But if work is interpreted as a given performance for a specific time according to a rigid rule, then I may have been the worst of the lazy.
Without a doubt, this scientist was a great worker, but above all and more than anything he was an intellectual.
44. I am confident that the near future will see revolutionary achievements in the production, transformation and transmission of energy, in transport and lighting, in the manufacture of chemical components, in telegraphy and telephony and in other arts and industries.
The future looked wonderful from the perspective of this famous scientist. It got many of his theories right about the future.
45. For me, it is absolutely irrelevant if the turbine is working in my head or if I test it in the workshop. I can even see if it is unbalanced. There is absolutely no difference, the results are the same. In this way, I am able to quickly develop and refine a concept without touching anything.
Tesla had inside his head everything he needed to create his invention, his mind was the best workshop he could wish for.
46. Food increases mass, peace decreases the force that slows down, and work increases the force that accelerates human movement. These are the only three possible solutions to the big problem, and they all have a goal, a purpose, namely to increase human energy.
For society to improve its performance, these three things are needed: food, peace and work.
47. Man, however, is not an ordinary mass, made up of spinning atoms and molecules, and simply contains caloric energy. It is a mass that possesses certain superior qualities, by reason of the creative principle of life with which it is endowed.
Human biology was presented to the great Nikola Tesla as a true mystery.
48. When the wireless technique is perfectly applied, the whole earth will become one huge brain, and all things will be particles of a genuine and rhythmic whole.
Did Tesla want to create a kind of internet? Tesla's concepts never cease to amaze us.
49. The scientist does not aim for an immediate result. He does not expect his advanced ideas to be easily accepted. His duty is to lay the foundations for those who are to come, and to point the way.
Much research has no practical application today, but one may be found in time.
50. The pressure of our occupations and the incessant stream of impressions pouring into our consciousness through all doors of knowledge make modern existence risky in many ways.
Living in the time that Tesla lived was a challenge for anyone, and succeeding in life was only allowed to the most daring.
51. He counted the steps on my walks and calculated the cubic content of soup plates, coffee cups, and pieces of food; otherwise, he could not enjoy the food.
As we can see, Tesla had a great predisposition to obsess over certain things.
52. Life is and always will be an unsolvable equation, but it does contain some known factors. Ultimately, we could say that it is a movement, even if we do not fully understand its nature.
Nobody knows for sure what the future will be in his life, but we know what things can be positive for us in the long term.
53. I don't think there is any more intense emotion for an inventor than to see any of his creations at work. That emotion makes one forget to eat, sleep, everything.
For any inventor, his creations are almost children, the inventor was in a certain way who brought them into the world.
54. If you want to find the secrets of the universe, he thinks in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.
Energy is a fundamental aspect in the universe, thanks to it the most amazing astronomical phenomena take place.
55. Everything that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, fought against, repressed, only to emerge with greater power and more triumph after the fight.
Over the years the truth always comes to light, time may be the one who proves us right in the future.
56. If your hatred could be turned into electricity, it would enlighten the whole world.
The hatred in certain people can be enormous, we should not promote that emotion in our lives.
57. I don't care that my idea has been stolen... I care that they don't have anything of their own.
On several occasions Edison was accused of stealing his ideas from Nikola Tesla, do you think they were right?
58. My brain is just a receptor, in the Universe there is a nucleus from which we get knowledge, strength and inspiration.
Where does the inspiration come from? That is a question that many people have asked throughout history.
59. The world moves slowly and it is difficult to see the new truths.
Time may sometimes seem to pass slowly, but it never stops or ever slows down.
60. Today's scientists think deeply rather than clearly. One must be of sound mind to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be completely insane.
Some people even thought that Tesla was not 100% psychologically, without a doubt he was a very peculiar man.
61. Of all things, his favorite thing was books.
Books can provide us with great knowledge, we must take advantage of their wisdom.
62. Let the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to your work and his achievements. The present is theirs; The future, for which I have really worked, is mine.
Today, Tesla is one of the most beloved scientists in history. Time, as he predicted, proved him right.
63. As I review the events of my past life, I realize how subtle are the influences that shape our destinies.
The smallest acts can have a great significance in our lives.
64. We are automatons totally controlled by the forces of the environment, shaken like corks on the surface of the water, but we confuse the result of the impulses from outside with free will.
Society largely dictates our daily actions, perhaps we are not as free as we really think.
65. The feeling constantly grows in me that I have been the first to hear the greeting from one planet to another.
Tesla revealed on some occasion that his inspiration came from another planet, is this true?
66. Everyone should consider his body as a priceless gift from someone they love most of all, a wonderful work of art, of beauty. indescribable and mysterious beyond human conception, and so delicate that a word, a breath, a look, not a thought, can damage it.
Our body is one of our most valuable assets, we must take care of it and value it.
67. I don't think you can name many great inventions made by married men.
Being single allows inventors to work much longer hours, putting aside all their social obligations.
68. For a time I hesitated, impressed by the teacher's authority, but soon I was convinced that I was right and took on the task with all the ardor and infinite confidence of youth.
It didn't have to be easy being the teacher of a young Tesla, one of the greatest geniuses in history.
69. If you only knew the magnificence of 3, 6 and 9, then you would have the key to the universe.
There has been much speculation about the meaning of this quote, for Tesla, these three numbers held great hidden power.
70. Each living being is a motor oriented to the wheel of the universe. Although seemingly affected only by his immediate surroundings, the external sphere of influence extends to an infinite distance.
We are part of a whole and this whole is the universe, although it seems that it is not like that, we are totally influenced by it.
71. What one man calls God, another calls the laws of physics.
Science took men away from religions, these men only believe in proven facts.
72. The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will progress more in a decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.
There are certain phenomena that are beyond science and until it evolves, it will not be able to study them efficiently.
73. The individual is ephemeral, races and nations come and go, but man remains.
Man is a really very resistant species and even if civilization ends, he will be able to move on.
74. Putting an idea into practice as it is generally done is, I contend, nothing more than a waste of energy, time, and money.
Since Tesla could develop his ideas in his mind, the development costs were obviously lower. He did not need a workshop to experiment with.
75. It's not the love you make It's the love you give
The love that we transmit to others every day will remain in the world when we are no longer there.