You are always too late with a development if you are so slow that people demand it before you yourself recognize it.
Meaning
Kettering, a General Motors research chief, wrote that innovators must anticipate needs rather than react to customer demands. By the time a request is loud, rivals are already building. At work, schedule time to explore tomorrow's problem before anyone asks you to.
Source: Scientific American (1934)
Best Innovation Quotes with Meaning
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About the author
Charles Kettering (1876-1958) was an American inventor and engineer who held more than 180 patents, including the electric starter for automobiles, and led research at General Motors.
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