How to Think Like One of the Most Successful Inventors of All Time
The “Wizard of Menlo Park”
Although he died in 1931 at the age of 84 years old, he remains one of the most famous and prolific inventors of all time. Known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” he had little formal education as a child, attending school for only a few months! His mother home-schooled him in reading, writing, and arithmetic. His biography states he “was always a very curious child and taught himself much by reading on his own.”
During his lifetime he acquired 1,093 patents: 389 for electric light and power alone. He was also issued 195 patents for the phonograph, 141 patents for batteries, and 34 for the telephone.
His name was Thomas Alva Edison. While Edison did not invent the lightbulb as so many believe, he did perfect it. More importantly, he imagined power generation and distribution, which were required to bring the world into the modern age of light. In fact, he founded what was to become one of the largest companies in the world, General Electric.
Let’s look at some of Edison’s most famous quotes. I have arranged them in groups and in an order that will help you get the most out of each.
Stick-to-itiveness
“The three great essentials to achieve anything…
