I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

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

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.

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

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

Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

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

Religion is all bunk.

There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever.

The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.

Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.

I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exists - proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision.

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.

The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.

There is no substitute for hard work.

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.

What you are will show in what you do.

I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.

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!

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

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

Great ideas originate in the muscles.