Thomas A. Edison

Gender: Male
Citizenship: United States
Born: Feb 11, 1847
Died: Oct 18, 1931

Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park", he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention, and because of that, he is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory.

Edison was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. More significant than the number of Edison's patents was the widespread impact of his inventions: electric light and power utilities, sound recording, and motion pictures all established major new industries world-wide. Edison's inventions contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. These included a stock ticker, a mechanical vote recorder, a battery for an electric car, electrical power, recorded music and motion pictures.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Religion is all bunk. religion

The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil. best

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

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

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

There is no substitute for hard work. work

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

I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success. success & work

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

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

To have a great idea, have a lot of them. greatness

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

Great ideas originate in the muscles. greatness

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

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

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

Thomas A. Edison

Mother's Day May 12, 2025