The 90 best famous phrases of Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison was best known for being the father of the electric light bulb, but he was also a great businessman who knew commercialize his inventions and help thousands of people while he let the world see the future that was within our reach hands. Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific minds in history, and this is demonstrated by more than a thousand patents on him.

• We recommend you read: "The 80 best phrases of Nikola Tesla"

Great quotes from Thomas Alva Edison

Despite his humble origins and his incessant battle with Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison was able to move on and achieve worldwide recognition. To remember him we bring in this article the 90 best phrases of his authorship.

1. Discontent is the first need for progress.

Progress arises from needs to be solved.

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

The genius, just because of his intelligence, does not achieve anything.

3. Whoever does not resolve to cultivate the habit of thinking loses the greatest pleasure in life.

Thinking opens up a world of possibilities for us.

4. We are going to make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.

His goal with electricity.

5. Nature is what we know. We do not know the gods of religions. And nature is not kind, or merciful, or loving.

Nature manifests itself as it is.

6. Great ideas originate in the muscles.

It is not just about thinking, but also about acting.

7. Show me a completely satisfied man and I will show you a failure.

For Edison, people always need to be constantly growing.

8. Five percent of people think; ten percent of people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.

Reference to the mental laziness of people.

9. I have not failed. I've found 10,000 ways it won't work.

You never fail. You find the ways that doesn't work.

10. There are many more opportunities than skills.

Perhaps now this is not the rule.

11. My mind is incapable of conceiving such a thing as the soul.

Edison did not believe that the soul existed in humans.

12. Time is really the only capital that any human being has and the least he can afford to waste or lose.

Cherish every minute you have and don't waste it.

13. I find out what the world needs. Then I go ahead and try to make it up.

His way of motivating himself to work.

14. Courage is what you are and not what you have.

It is our attitudes that make us valuable beings.

15. I owe my success to the fact that I never had a watch in my workshop.

Although time is an important factor, so is patience.

16. I never did anything by chance, nor did any of my. inventions came by accident; They came for work.

Luck is achieved by working.

17. I believe in the existence of a superior intelligence in the universe.

Edison was not religious, but he did believe in the existence of something else.

18. The first requirement for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to a problem, endlessly and without tiring.

A great tip that should not go unnoticed.

19. It may be wrong and the man has a soul, but I just don't think so.

The inventor was firm in his convictions.

20. The main function of the body is to accompany the brain.

For the inventor, the brain is the most sacred thing we have.

21. The value of an idea lies in the use of it.

If an idea is not functional, then it is not worth executing.

22. When I have completely decided that a result is worth achieving, I go forward and try after try until it arrives.

If you think something is going to bring you benefits in the future, then go for it.

23. We don't know a millionth of one percent of anything.

Talking about that we do not know many things in the universe.

24. We must remember that good fortune often occurs when opportunity meets preparation.

Another phrase that makes it clear that luck comes with your effort.

25. There is no substitute for hard work.

If you want to get something, then you must work for it.

26. There is a way to do it better, find it.

There is always a solution for any problem.

27. An experience is never a failure, because it always comes to prove something.

We learn from all experience.

28. We don't really have a lot of data on the subject, and without data, how can we come to any definitive conclusions?

The data are what provide the knowledge about the validity of an experiment.

29. The doctor of the future will not give any medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in the human diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.

A prediction about the work of doctors in the future.

30. Negative results are just what I want. They are as valuable to me as the positive results.

Negative results teach us what not to do.

31. Charity is a faculty of the heart, not of the hands.

Giving is an act of kindness, not recognition.

32. Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very often it is more unfair to youth.

Maturity does not mean that you are a better person.

33. That something does not work as you expected does not mean that it is useless.

There are times when things don't turn out the way we planned.

34. As a cure for worry, work is better than whiskey.

Work brings distinctive pleasure.

35. What is not sold I do not want to invent.

The genius also thought like a merchant.

36. Personally, I like to work around 18 hours a day. In addition to the short naps he takes each day, he averages four to five hours of sleep a night.

A bit Workaholic?

37. There is no recourse that a man does not go to to avoid the real work of thinking.

Thinking is a basic skill that we must have in life.

38. I can't find what works best until I find what doesn't.

A very curious but very thoughtful fact.

39. When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this; You have not done it.

There is always something you can try.

40. What you are will show in what you do.

Acts speak louder than any word.

41. To invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of garbage.

Imagination is a fundamental part of all creation.

42. If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally be in awe.

Never doubt your abilities.

43. I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of religious ideas of heaven and hell, of the afterlife of individuals, or of a personal God.

Criticism of religion.

44. A child's mind is naturally active, it develops through exercise

Education and games are essential for the development of children's minds.

45. I have normal friends whose friendship I would not change for the favor of the kings of the world.

Friendship is a precious commodity that we must never change.

46. Nonviolence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution.

We must aspire to a world without violence.

47. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.

For Edison, this is the worst state of any person.

48. The first requirement for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to a problem, relentlessly and without getting tired.

In short, you must work and prosper to get the results you want.

49 I would invest my money in the sun and solar energy. I hope we don't wait until the oil and coal runs out before doing so.

Solar power has long been believed to be the answer.

50. The surest way to be successful is to always try one more time.

You don't lose anything by trying again.

51. I have never had a day at work in my life. Everything is fun.

An aspiration that we should all have.

52. As far as today's religion is concerned, this is a bloody farce... Religion is nonsense.

For the inventor, religion brings more negativity than benefits.

53. I don't believe in the God of theologians; but that there is a Supreme Intelligence, I do not doubt it.

Again he tells us that he does not believe in God, but in a supreme intelligence.

54. A good intention, with a bad focus, often leads to a poor result.

It is not enough to have the best disposition, but also to find the right channels.

55. Until we stop harming all other living things, we are still wild.

A lesson that he applies to today.

56. To get a great idea, have a lot of them.

Have a notebook handy where you can write down all your ideas.

57. The best thought has been done alone. The worst has been done in the midst of turmoil.

Loneliness can bring us peace, while agitation only causes us anxiety.

58. Everything comes to the one who rushes while waiting.

It may sound contradictory but Edison tells us that good results come for those who persevere and have patience.

59. Don't cheat, but don't be fooled.

He acts how you would like people to treat you.

60. Nature is really wonderful. Only man is truly dirty.

A great truth.

61. Those who claim that it is impossible should not interrupt those of us who are trying.

If you don't have anything nice to say, then you better not say anything.

62. I find my greatest pleasure, and therefore my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.

From what you love to do, success will come.

63. Tesla will never be able to prove that I stole all of his patents. He is European and no European is smarter than me.

Response to Tesla's allegations of patent theft.

64. Everyone steals in commerce and industry. I have stolen a lot, myself. But I know how to steal! They don't know how to steal!

An interesting phrase that contradicts the one above or affirms the theft part of it.

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

For Edison, the body is like a huge factory where small specialists work.

66. I start where the last man left off.

The saying goes well: ‘the garbage of some is the treasure of others’.

67. People are not remembered for the number of times they fail, but for the number of times they succeed.

People will always focus on the good.

68. One day a machine will sprout from the brain of science that possesses such fearful and terrible power that even the man, the warrior, the one who is willing to endure death, will leave the war for forever.

Edison was a fervent believer that machines can bring peace to the world.

69. Our schools are not teaching students to think.

Unfortunately, the educational system still has a lot to improve.

70. What the mind of man can create, the character of man can control.

Another way of saying that if you can imagine it you can also create it.

71. There are no rules here; we are trying to achieve something.

In war and in love, is anything fair?

72. After years of observing the processes of nature, I cannot doubt the existence of a Supreme Intelligence.

Another affirmation of his belief in the existence of a higher being.

73. In my opinion, the old masters are not art; the value of him is in the scarcity of him.

For Edison, the value is in the future.

74. During all those years of experimentation and research, I never made a discovery.

For the inventor, it was only a matter of time to get to what he did.

75. Its sale is proof of usefulness and profit is success.

Marketing certainly shows the effectiveness of a product.

76. Everything that is said about existence after the grave is wrong. It is only the product of our tenacity towards life. Our desire to continue living. Our dread of coming to an end.

A phrase that shows us that he did not believe in this life after death.

77. It is surprising how many young people have a hard time putting their brains permanently and consistently to work.

Invention and youth seem not always to go hand in hand.

78. The existence of such a God, in my view, can almost be demonstrated with chemistry.

Many divine things can be demonstrated with scientific facts.

79. X-rays... I'm afraid of them. I stopped experimenting with them two years ago, when I was about to lose my sight and Dally, my assistant practically lost the use of both arms.

A terrible anecdote with one of the most used elements in current medicine.

80. All my work was deductive, and the results I obtained were those of invention, pure and simple.

All his results were a series of trial and error.

81. Be brave. I have seen many depressions in business. America has always emerged from these, stronger and more prosperous.

Never give up in the face of adversity.

82. Many of life's failures are from people not realizing how close they were to success when they gave up.

Sometimes before we are successful we go through our worst.

83. Many opportunities are missed because they come dressed in overalls and look like work.

Many people want to become successful without trying.

84. Every person must decide once in his life if he sets out to triumph, risking everything, or if he sits down to watch the triumphs pass by.

A decision that sooner or later we must make.

85. The only invention that has satisfied my inventive spirit is the tuna patty.

A funny curiosity of the inventor.

86. I am convinced that the body is made up of entities that are intelligent and directed by this Higher Power.

A very curious view on the functioning of the human body.

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

A very good reason to be proud.

88. Be brave like your parents. Have faith. Go forward.

We have to believe in ourselves to be able to reach the top.

89. For a person to think more clearly, he should organize his time to have periods of solitude in which he can concentrate and indulge the imagination without distraction.

An excellent recommendation on organizing our time.

90. When churches start to have a rational view of things and stop teaching fables, they will be more effective than they are today.

It is necessary that the Churches accept Science more.