TECHONOMIST QUOTES
Techonomists by their very nature view the world through a different lens and see patterns and potential that most people can’t discern. They also seem to have a way with words, when it comes to describing what it is they really do. Following is a selection of provocative and pithy quotations from techonomic doers and thinkers through the ages.
“Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.”
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) – an Italian philosopher, writer and diplomat who is considered the originator of modern political science
“To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.”
Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) – Polish polymath best known for proposing a heliocentric model for the universe
“Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so.”
Gallileo Gallilei (1564-1642) – Italian inventor of the telescope
“A man has always to be busy with his thoughts if anything is to be accomplished.”
Antony von Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) – Dutch tradesman who is considered the first microbiologist, as a result of improving the microscope
“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
Isaac Newton (1643-1727) – Englishman who originated the theory of universal gravitation and laws of motion; invented the reflector telescope
“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.”
Isaac Newton (1643-1727) – Englishman who originated the theory of universal gravitation and laws of motion; invented the reflector telescope
“I conceive that the great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by false estimates they have made of the value of things.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) – inventor, early American statesman
“When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) – inventor, early American statesman
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) – inventor, early American statesman
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) – inventor, early American statesman
“It is not by augmenting the capital of the country, but by rendering a greater part of that capital active and productive than would otherwise be so, that the most judicious operations of banking can increase the industry of the country.”
Adam Smith (1723-1790) – originator of modern economics
“Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this – no dog exchanges bones with another.”
Adam Smith (1723-1790) – originator of modern economics
“The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations.”
Adam Smith (1723-1790) – originator of modern economics
“Vegetation is the basic instrument the creator uses to set all of nature in motion.”
Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794) – French chemist and biologist who first isolated and identified the elements of oxygen and hydrogen
“I consider nature a vast chemical laboratory in which all kinds of composition and decompositions are formed.”
Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794) – French chemist and biologist who first isolated and identified the elements of oxygen and hydrogen
“I can make just such ones if I had tools, and I could make tools if I had tools to make them with.”
Eli Whitney (1765-1825) – American inventor of interchangeable parts, cotton gin
“The great and unlooked for discoveries that have taken place of late years have all concurred to lead many men into the opinion that we were touching on a period big with the most important changes.”
Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) – British scholar who was the first true demographer, who studied population growth and the effects of famine and disease
“The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.”
Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) – British scholar who was the first true demographer, who studied population growth and the effects of famine and disease
“The five essential entrepreneurial skills for success are concentration, discrimination, organization, innovation and communication.”
Michael Faraday (1791-1867) – pioneer of electromagnetism, inventor of the electric motor
“If the presence of electricity can be made visible in any part of the circuit, I see no reason why intelligence may not be transmitted instantaneously by electricity.”
Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872) – inventor of telegraphy
“A man has cause for regret only when he sows and no one reaps.”
Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) – American industrialist who devised the method to make vulcanized rubber
“False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness.”
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) – British biologist who originated the theory of evolution
“If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.”
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) – British biologist who originated the theory of evolution
“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) – British biologist who originated the theory of evolution
“Man tends to increase at a greater rate than his means of subsistence.”
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) – British biologist who originated the theory of evolution
“To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.”
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) – British biologist who originated the theory of evolution
“The development of civilization and industry in general has always shown itself so active in the destruction of forests that everything that has been done for their conservation and production is completely insignificant in comparison.”
Karl Marx (1818-1883) – originator of Marxist and Communist economic theories
“The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.”
Karl Marx (1818-1883) – originator of Marxist and Communist economic theories
“Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business. Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward!”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“To have a great idea, have a lot of them.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“What a man’s mind can create, man’s character can control.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) – developed the light bulb, direct current, phonograph, motion picture camera, holder of 1,093 patents
“The spread of civilisation may be likened to a fire; first, a feeble spark, next a flickering flame, then a mighty blaze, ever increasing in speed and power.”
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) – studied electromagnetism, developed alternating current
“The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race.”
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) – innovative American educator
“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”
Max Planck (1858-1947) – New Zealand-born physicist who is credited for originating quantum theory
“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”
George Washington Carver (1864-1943) – American botanist, agronomist, sustainable agriculture pioneer
“Isn’t it astonishing that all these secrets have been preserved for so many years just so we could discover them!”
Orville Wright (1872-1912) – co-developer of heavier-than-air flight
“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”
Henry Ford (1863-1947) – pioneer of automobile design and manufacture, perfected the assembly line method of modern mass production
“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”
Henry Ford (1863-1947) – pioneer of automobile design and manufacture, perfected the assembly line method of modern mass production
“There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.”
Henry Ford (1863-1947) – pioneer of automobile design and manufacture, perfected the assembly line method of modern mass production
“You can’t learn in school what the world is going to do next year.”
Henry Ford (1863-1947) – pioneer of automobile design and manufacture, perfected the assembly line method of modern mass production
“After all, science is essentially international, and it is only through lack of the historical sense that national qualities have been attributed to it.”
Marie Curie (1867-1934) – French physicist who pioneered radioactivity
“Every day sees humanity more victorious in the struggle with space and time.”
Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) – first developed radio
“Think!”
Thomas Watson (1874-1956) – early president of IBM
“The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas of enthusiasm.”
Thomas Watson (1874-1956) – early president of IBM
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“The mainspring of scientific thought is not an external goal toward which one must strive, but the pleasure of thinking.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – originator of landmark theories of Relativity and Gravity
“Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.”
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) – British economist whose theories about fiscal and monetary practice have influenced government intervention in the capitalist marketplace to mitigate the adverse effects of business cycles
“The day is not far off when the economic problem will take the back seat where it belongs, and the arena of the heart and the head will be occupied or reoccupied, by our real problems – the problems of life and of human relations, of creation and behavior and religion.”
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) – British economist whose theories about fiscal and monetary practice have influenced government intervention in the capitalist marketplace to mitigate the adverse effects of business cycles
“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.”
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) – British economist whose theories about fiscal and monetary practice have influenced government intervention in the capitalist marketplace to mitigate the adverse effects of business cycles
“Let us not paralyze our capacity for good by brooding of man’s capacity for evil.”
David Sarnoff
“The human brain must continue to frame the problems for the electronic machine to solve.”
David Sarnoff (1891-1971) – Russian-born pioneer of American commercial radio and television who founded both the National Broadcasting Corporation network and the Radio Corporation of America electronics manufacturer
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Walt Disney (1901-1966) – animation pioneer, entertainment entrepreneur
“What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”
Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976) – German theoretical physicist known best for his ”uncertainty principle” of quantum theory
“Before I came here I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture I am still confused. But on a higher level.”
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) – an Italian physicist who is remembered primarily for his role in developing the first nuclear reactor
“Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly.”
Linus Pauling (1901-1994) – father of modern molecular biology
“Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.”
Linus Pauling (1901-1994) – father of modern molecular biology
“There’s no sense in being precise when you don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
John von Neumann (1903-1957) – originator of the theory of quantum mechanics, set theory, game theory, hydrodynamics and numerical analysis used in harnessing nuclear energy
“It would appear that we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology, although one should be careful with such statements, as they tend to sound pretty silly in 5 years.”
John von Neumann (1903-1957) – originator of the theory of quantum mechanics, set theory, game theory, hydrodynamics and numerical analysis used in harnessing nuclear energy (circa 1949)
“”It worked.” (said after witnessing the first atomic detonation).”
J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) – director of the Manhattan Project that developed the first atomic bomb
“When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success. That is the way it was with the atomic bomb.”
J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) – director of the Manhattan Project that developed the first atomic bomb
“The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true.”
J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) – director of the Manhattan Project that developed the first atomic bomb
“See? We told you the computer could do all that!”
Grace Hopper (1906-1992) – computer scientist and naval officer who originated the idea of software ”languages” optimized for certain kinds of computing tasks
“In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference.”
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) – biologist and writer who helped pioneer environmentalism
“Creativity comes from looking for the unexpected and stepping outside your own experience.”
Masaru Ibuka (1908-1997) – Japanese engineer who was co-founder of Sony
“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.”
Peter Drucker (1909-2005) – Austrian-born writer, management theorist, social ”ecologist”
“Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”
Peter Drucker (1909-2005) – Austrian-born writer, management theorist, social ”ecologist”
“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.”
Peter Drucker (1909-2005) – Austrian-born writer, management theorist, social ”ecologist”
“The purpose of a business is to create a customer.”
Peter Drucker (1909-2005) – Austrian-born writer, management theorist, social ”ecologist”
“It’s not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas.”
Edwin Land (1909-1991) – inventor of self-developing photographic film, polarizing filters, theory of color sight
“Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.”
Alan Turing (1912-1954) – British mathmetician and cryptoanalyst considered the father of computer science
“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”
Alan Turing (1912-1954) – British mathmetician and cryptoanalyst considered the father of computer science
“Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Werner von Braun (1912-1977) – German rocket architect and space physicist, during World War II he was chief designer of Germany’s V-2 missile, and later the Saturn V booster rocket for the Apollo moon missions
“We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.”
Werner von Braun (1912-1977) – German rocket architect and space physicist, during World War II he was chief designer of Germany’s V-2 missile, and later the Saturn V booster rocket for the Apollo moon missions
“Kierkegaard drives his point – you can make wild ducks tame, but you can never make tame ducks wild again. One might also add that the duck who is tamed will never go anywhere any more. We are convinced that any business needs its wild ducks.”
Thomas Watson Jr. (1914-1981) – president of IBM during its ascension to dominance of the early computer industry
“Every good cause is worth some inefficiency.”
Paul Samuelson (1915-2009) – greatest 20th Century economist
“The problem is no longer that with every pair of hands that comes into the world there comes a hungry stomach. Rather it is that, attached to those hands are sharp elbows.”
Paul Samuelson (1915-2009) – greatest 20th Century economist
“We’ve discovered the secret of life.”
Francis Crick (1916-2004) – British biologist who along with James Watson discovered the structure of DNA
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) – British science fiction writer who was trained as a radar technician and was the first to propose using satellites to relay telecommunications around the world
“Capital isn’t scarce; vision is.”
Sam Walton (1918-1992) – Founder of Wal-Mart
“I have always been driven to buck the system, to innovate, to take things beyond where they’ve been.”
Sam Walton (1918-1992) – Founder of Wal-Mart
“It is in the admission of ignorance and the admission of uncertainty that there is a hope for the continuous motion of human beings in some direction that doesn’t get confined, permanently blocked, as it has so many times before in various periods in the history of man.”
Richard Feynmann (1918-1988) – a noted American nuclear physicist and educator
“Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.”
Richard Feynmann (1918-1988) – a noted American nuclear physicist and educator
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.”
Richard Feynmann (1918-1988) – a noted American nuclear physicist and educator
“We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on.”
Richard Feynmann (1918-1988) – a noted American nuclear physicist and educator
“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.”
Richard Feynmann (1918-1988) – a noted American nuclear physicist and educator
“There was a space program before there was integrated circuits.”
Jack Kilby (1923-2005) – inventor of the integrated circuit
“If you aren’t confused, you don’t understand anything.”
W. Brian Arthur – economist, author of The Nature of Technology
“The future is still so much bigger than the past.”
Tim Berners-Lee – inventor of the Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) that transformed the Internet from a communications tool mainly for scientists into a conduit for multimedia expression
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
Alan Kay – legendary American computer scientist
“Perspective is worth 80 IQ points.”
Alan Kay – legendary American computer scientist
“What’s dangerous is not to evolve.”
Jeff Bezos – founder and CEO of Amazon.com, and founder of Blue Origin human spaceflight startup
“Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.”
Stewart Brand – biologist, ecologist, author of Whole Earth Discipline
“We are as gods and HAVE to get good at it.”
Stewart Brand – biologist, ecologist, author of Whole Earth Discipline
“Beware of geeks bearing formulas.”
Warren Buffett – chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, primary contributor to the Gates Foundation
“Just as we could have rode into the sunset, along came the Internet, and it tripled the significance of the PC.”
Andy Grove – legendary Intel CEO
“Leaders have to act more quickly today. The pressure comes much faster.”
Andy Grove – legendary Intel CEO
“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”
Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“If I’d had some set idea of a finish line, don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?”
Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”
Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”
Stephen Hawking – British theoretical physicist
“Take young researchers, put them together in virtual seclusion, give them an unprecedented degree of freedom and turn up the pressure by fostering competitiveness.”
James Watson – British biochemist and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA
“Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.”
Robert Jarvik – American inventor of the mechanical heart and other medical devices
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
Steve Jobs – co-founder and CEO of Apple and former CEO of Pixar Animation Studios
“Well, limbo is not a good place to be.”
Bill Joy – senior partner at KPCB focusing exclusively on greentech startup companies; co-founder of Sun Microsystems, and creator of the”Berkeley UNIX” operating system.
“As we move towards 8 or 10 billion people on the planet, there’s a little less gold per capita. Each one of us will continue to be fighting over an ever smaller percentage of total resources. This is not a happy thought.”
Dean Kamen – American inventor of the Segway and many other inventions
“Everybody has to be able to participate in a future that they want to live for. That’s what technology can do.”
Dean Kamen – American inventor of the Segway and many other inventions
“We can’t live any more in a world which is based on stuff and not ideas. If you want to live with the world of stuff, we’re all doomed.”
Dean Kamen – American inventor of the Segway and many other inventions
” A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.”