Thomas Edison Quotes

18 quotes from Thomas Edison on investing, entrepreneurship and motivation.

On investing

My main purpose in life is to make money so I can afford to go on creating more inventions.
If parents pass enthusiasm along to their children, they will leave them an estate of incalculable value.
Time is really the only capital that any human being has and the thing that he can least afford to waste or lose.
Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can't afford to lose.
My principal business is giving commercial value to the brilliant - but misdirected ideas of others.

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 have far more respect for the person with a single idea who gets there than for the person with a thousand ideas who does nothing.
I believe that the science of chemistry alone almost proves the existence of an intelligent creator.
Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
A good idea is never lost. Even though its originator or possessor may die, it will someday be reborn in the mind of another.
Whatever the mind of man creates, should be controlled by man's character.

Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.
The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.
I Failed My Way To Success.
If you want to succeed, get some enemies.
You only fail when you stop trying.