Thomas Edison

1847 – 1931

1800s-1900s USA · Inventor

Thomas Edison was one of America's most famous inventors, best known for creating a working light bulb. He held over a thousand patents for inventions like the phonograph and early motion picture cameras. He liked to say that genius is "one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

Quotes

6

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

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

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

“We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything.”

“I find out what the world needs. Then, I go ahead and invent it.”

Sources

en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia's article on Thomas Edison. Not yet checked against the books it cites.
Added 20 Aug 2026 · claude-sonnet-5

How this life story was put together

Put together from what’s generally known about Thomas Edison, not from the sources above. The dates and details haven’t been checked against them yet.