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The Quotable Thomas Edison

The Quotable Thomas Edison

Mr. Edison was quoted many times in the social media of that time– newspapers, magazines, journals and personal interviews. His lesser- known quotes have not been seen by many admirers, so here are some of those “second tier” gems from the mouth of the great inventor.

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Thomas Edison felt most keenly the press of time on his life. Below is a quote that expresses his reaction to his precious and limited resource….time: 

“The only time I become discouraged is when I think of all the things I like to do and the little time I have in which to do them. I would like to live about three hundred years.  I think I have ideas enough to keep me busy that long.”

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Visionary that he was, many instances occur where Edison was way ahead of his time in predicting how technology would change the world. The quote below sets the stage for big changes in the realm of energy:

 “Someday, man will harness the rise and fall of the tides, imprison the power of the sun, and release atomic power.”  

By the way, his prediction of movies being used as a great educational tool certainly came to be, such as the Internet, smartboards, and classroom movies. These are certainly all over the education scene.

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Edison had a great love for the country, especially Revolutionary Period heroes. His favorite national Holiday was the 4th of July.

“Be courageous! Whatever setbacks America has encountered, it has always emerged as a stronger and more prosperous nation…. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith and go forward!“ 

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The great inventor had a profound sense of duty to country and fellow man, as exemplified here.

“The world owes nothing to any man, but every man owes something to the world.”

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A pair of Edison quotes clearly expresses the inventor’s feelings about the importance of thinking, a big theme in his daily work and exhortations to his staff.

“A person who does not endeavor to apply the custom of thinking is equal to the person who has lost all their joy in life.”

“The man who doesn’t make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking misses the greatest pleasure in life.”

In his West Orange Labs, Edison had this Joshua Reynolds quote tacked up on the walls of his labs and working areas…..”There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking.” 

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Let’s conclude with a bit of humorous sarcasm from his lips!

“You will have many opportunities in life to keep your mouth shut:  You should take advantage of every one of them.”

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There they are, some not so popular, but effective quotes from Thomas Edison!

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Edison Congratulates Around the World Balloon

For just a few hundred dollars, students at Seton Hall Prep [West Orange,
NJ] took a trip around the world…..via a high altitude balloon, often zipping
along at 40,000 to 45,000 feet in Earth’s atmosphere…..where commercial
airliners lurk.
 
This class at “The Prep” knows well the challenge and excitement of being an
integral part of a STEM team. Their teacher, Dave Snyder, an extraordinary
Science/STEM teacher and mentor, exemplifies student team leadership,
knowing how to harness enthusiastic participation from his high school
students.
 
Since 2016, his previous student teams have done high altitude balloon
flying, but this team wanted to go for distance, and did they ever–around
the world. And they used Thomas Edison principles of problem solving to
help get there. His school’s STEM teams previously have taken top spots in
the high school division of past Thomas Edison Pitch Contests, a national
contest held annually, sponsored by the Edison Innovation Foundation.

Seton Hall Prep students doing the planning work.
Preparing for a launch!

 
Said Snyder, “We wanted to collaborate on a bold project that would excite
students during COVID; and we wanted to include the remote students.
Students at home and students in the class needed to collaborate and if they
didn’t, the project would have been a disaster.” Clearly it was a soaring
success! Snyder took some guidance from his father’s experience as an
executive. He managed and led this student team as though it was a typical
business effort, where the whole team must work together toward a
common goal. Basically, Snyder did exactly what Edison practiced with his
product development teams. When you have creative people, you inspire
them and get out of the way. Snyder’s students basically did everything
themselves, an amazing series of accomplishments for high school students.
There is magic happening at Seton Hall Prep, and Snyder certainly is in the
middle of it all, a modern version of Tom Edison. 
Here is a terrific site to learn more about this incredible high school project
https://www.shp.org/shp-stem-balloons, with explanations and media. As of
this writing, the balloon is on its third trip around the world! 

Path of the balloon…..looks like NASA tracking it!!

What college would not want these students as part of their entering class!
What company would not want incoming employees with these skills.

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