Keep on the lookout for novel ideas that others have used successfully. Your idea has to be original only in its adaptation to the problem you're working on.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Innovation often arises from creative thinking and the ability to repurpose existing materials.
In this quote, Thomas A. Edison emphasizes the importance of imagination and resourcefulness in the inventive process. He suggests that great ideas can emerge not just from new materials but from the ability to see potential in what is often considered worthless or discarded, highlighting the critical role of creativity in invention.
Themes
ImaginationInnovationCreativityInventionResourcefulness
In practice
Example use cases
In a startup pitch to highlight the value of creative thinking in product development.
More from Thomas A. Edison
All quotes βIf we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
I am a vegetarian as well as a passionate anti-alcoholic, because I can thus make better use of my brain.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
Genius is not inspired. Inspiration is perspiration.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
I didn't fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
There is no substitute for hard work.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
Similar quotes
A Warrior also knows that the fool who gives advice about someone else's garden is not tending his own plants.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Part of my preparation for the World Champion match against Kasparov was to be ready for his off-board tactics. I did not to react to them at all. Once you start thinking about these things during the game, even analysing them, you're caught.
Vladimir KramnikRead
I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I'm supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I'm praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things.
Mother TeresaRead
When I come upon a man who has a gleaming, empty, clear desktop, I am dealing with a fellow who is so far removed from the realities of his business that someone else is running it for him.
Harold GeneenRead
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
Paul Laurence DunbarRead
Don't be afraid..." We need this reassurance. Even for those of us who believe implicitly in angels, to be confronted by one is an awesome thing."
Madeleine L'EngleRead