Crash programs fail because they are based on theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby in a month.
Wernher Von BraunRead
It takes sixty-five thousand errors before you are qualified to make a rocket.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success requires a significant amount of trial and error to achieve mastery in any field.
In the quote by Wernher Von Braun, he highlights the importance of perseverance and learning through mistakes. The sheer number of errors signifies that expertise, especially in complex fields like rocket science, is reached only after countless attempts, failures, and lessons learned, underscoring the value of resilience and commitment on the path to success.
Themes
ErrorsSuccessLearningPerseveranceRocket Science
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about innovation and technology, I would say, 'As Wernher Von Braun observed, it takes sixty-five thousand errors before you are qualified to make a rocket—highlighting that perseverance through failure is key to achieving success.'
More from Wernher Von Braun
All quotes →I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.
Wernher Von BraunRead
Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing.
Wernher Von BraunRead
I have learned to use the word 'impossible' with the greatest caution.
Wernher Von BraunRead
It will free man from the remaining chains, the chains of gravity which still tie him to this planet.
Wernher Von BraunRead
We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
Wernher Von BraunRead
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