Thomas Edison quotes

1847–1931 · Milan, OH

Hard work, based on hard thinking.
AttributedThomas Edison
Source
Edison: His Life and Inventions, by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin, vol. 2, 1910 · Vol. 2, chapter on the Edison storage battery, p. 554 (printed page number, seen)
Read at
Harper and Brothers, New York and London (Internet Archive scan of the 1910 first edition)
Spilt milk doesn't interest me. I have spilt lots of it, and while I have always felt it for a few days, it is quickly forgotten, and I turn again to the future.
AttributedThomas Edison
Source
Edison: His Life and Inventions, by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin, vol. 2, 1910 · Vol. 2, chapter on the social side of Edison, p. 764 (printed page number, seen)
Read at
Harper and Brothers, New York and London (Internet Archive scan of the 1910 first edition)
The only way to keep ahead of the procession is to experiment. If you don't, the other fellow will. When there's no experimenting there's no progress. Stop experimenting and you go backward. If anything goes wrong, experiment until you get to the very bottom of the trouble.
AttributedThomas Edison
Source
Edison: His Life and Inventions, by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin, vol. 2, 1910 · Vol. 2, chapter on Edison's method in inventing, p. 617 (printed page number, seen)
Read at
Harper and Brothers, New York and London (Internet Archive scan of the 1910 first edition)
Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results! I know several thousand things that won't work.
AttributedThomas Edison
Source
Edison: His Life and Inventions, by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin, vol. 2, 1910 · Vol. 2, chapter on Edison's method in inventing, p. 616 (printed page number, seen)
Read at
Harper and Brothers, New York and London (Internet Archive scan of the 1910 first edition)
Stuff! I tell you genius is hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and common sense.
AttributedThomas Edison
Source
Edison: His Life and Inventions, by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin, vol. 2, 1910 · Vol. 2, chapter on Edison's method in inventing, p. 607 (printed page number, seen)
Read at
Harper and Brothers, New York and London (Internet Archive scan of the 1910 first edition)
Genius is 1 per cent. inspiration and 99 per cent. perspiration.
VerifiedThomas Edison
Source
Edison: His Life and Inventions, by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin, vol. 2, 1910 · Vol. 2, chapter on Edison's method in inventing, p. 607 (printed page number, seen)
Read at
Harper and Brothers, New York and London (Internet Archive scan of the 1910 first edition)