Thomas A. Edison Inspirational Quotations

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.

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

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

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

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

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.

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

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

I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.

One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But... I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.

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

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

I start where the last man left off.

When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.

If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.

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 find out what the world needs. Then I go ahead and try to invent it

I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.

We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.

I have far more respect for the person with a single idea who gets there than for the person with a thousand ideas who does nothing....

Discontent is the first necessity of progress.

No, I haven't failed thousands of times. On the contrary, I have successfully eliminated thousands of ideas that do not work!

I owe my success to the fact that I never had a clock in my workroom.

There is a better way for everything. Find it.

When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven't.

Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. As a result, a genius is often a talented person who has simply done all of his homework.