I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come indirectly through accident, except the phonograph. No, when I have, fully decided that a result is worth getting, I go about it, and make trial after trial, until it comes.

The first requisite for success is to develop the ability to focus and apply your mental and physical energies to the problem at hand - without growing weary. Because such thinking is often difficult, there seems to be no limit to which some people will go to avoid the effort and labor that is associated with it.

The value of an idea lies in the using of it.

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

I didn't fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.

I never pick up an item without thinking of how I might improve it.

Genius is not inspired. Inspiration is perspiration.