Because ideas have to be original only with regard to their adaptation to the problem at hand, I am always extremely interested in how others have used used them.
Thomas A. EdisonI never view mistakes as failures. They are simply opportunities to find out what doesn't work.
Thomas A. EdisonIf I had not had so much ambition and not tried to do so many things, I probably would have been happier, but less useful.
Thomas A. EdisonA reporter called on Edison to interview him about a substitute for lead in the manufacture of storage batteries that the scientist was seeking. Edison informed the man that he had made 20,000 experiments but none had worked. "Aren't you discouraged by all this waste of effort?" the reporter asked. Edison: "Waste! There's nothing wasted. I have discovered 20,000 things that won't work."
Thomas A. Edison