A 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."

What is a college? An institute of learning. What is a business? An institute of learning. Life, itself, is an institute of learning.

I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.

Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth.

Direct thought is not an attribute of feminity. In this, women are now centuries behind man.