Following are a few Thomas Edison quotes to inspire and motivate. Edison is well known for his many inventions, but he is also well known for his hard work ethic and perseverance. Even after many failed attempts with his light bulb design, Edison continued on knowing each failure brought him closer to success. We hope these Thomas Edison quotes give you the motivation to persevere too.
“Personally, I enjoy working about 18 hours a day. Besides the short catnaps I take each day, I average about four to five hours of sleep per night. “
“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.”
“Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”
“A genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.”
“When I have finally decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead on it and make trial after trial until it comes.”
“I find out what the world needs. Then I go ahead and try to invent it.”
“My main purpose in life is to make enough money to create ever more inventions…. The dove is my emblem…. I want to save and advance human life, not destroy it…. I am proud of the fact that I have never invented weapons to kill….”
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
“Unfortunately, there seems to be far more opportunity out there than ability…. We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation.”
“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. I wish I had more years left.”
“I believe that the science of chemistry alone almost proves the existence of an intelligent creator.”
“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves….”
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
“I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.”
“Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something.”
“One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But speaking for myself, I can honestly say this is not so…I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.”
“I have more respect for the fellow with a single idea who gets there than for the fellow with a thousand ideas who does nothing.”
“I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.”
“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
“The man who doesn’t make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking misses the greatest pleasure in life.”
“The world owes nothing to any man, but every man owes something to the world.”
“A man’s best friend is a good wife.”
“It’s obvious that we don’t know one millionth of one percent about anything.”
“Fools call wise men fools. A wise man never calls any man a fool.”
