“The most necessary task of civilization is to teach people how to think. It should be the primary purpose of our public schools. The mind of a child is naturally active, it develops through exercise. Give a child plenty of exercise, for body and brain. The trouble with our way of educating is that it does not give elasticity to the mind. It casts the brain into a mold. It insists that the child must accept. It does not encourage original thought or reasoning, and it lays more stress on memory than observation.”

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

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”

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

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

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

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

“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.”

“There's a way to do it better - find it.”

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

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