People who have read a good deal rarely make great discoveries. I do not say this in excuse of laziness, but because invention presupposes an extensive independent contemplation of things.
Inventions - Inventors Quotes
To make an apple pie from scratch, we must first invent the universe.
I must confess that my imagination, in spite even of spurring, refuses to see any sort of submarine doing anything but suffocating its crew and floundering at sea.
To be fruitful in invention, it is indispensable to have a habit of observation and reflection.
Necessity is the mother of invention, it is true, but its father is creativity, and knowledge is the midwife.
“Necessity is the mother of invention” is a silly proverb. “Necessity is the mother of futile dodges” is much nearer the truth.
There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to institute a new order of things.
The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular? (Associate of radio pioneer David Sarnoff, 1920s)
The “silly” question is the first intimation of some totally new development.
We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity – gunpowder and romantic love.
