Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

30 quotes

Known primarily as an American inventor and businessman, Thomas A. Edison also happens to be one of the most quotable figures in our collection. Thomas A. Edison's observations on Work are as sharp as their thoughts on Success, revealing genuine breadth of mind. Our collection holds 44 quotes from Thomas A. Edison, each offering a different angle on Work, Success, Great, Failure, and Business. As Thomas A. Edison put it: "To my mind the old masters are not art their value is in their scarcity."

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Work

All Quotes by Thomas A. Edison

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Friendship

“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.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Time

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Success

“To have a great idea, have a lot of them.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Great

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Failure

“Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Business

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Work

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Work

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Great

“The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Work

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Motivational

“Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Work

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Business

“It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Work

“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.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Death

“Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Failure

“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!”

— Thomas A. Edison

Business

“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.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Intelligence

“To my mind the old masters are not art their value is in their scarcity.”

— Thomas A. Edison

Art

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

— Thomas A. Edison

Failure