Search inspirational quotes
Search by keyword, author name, or theme. Results include the quote text, meaning, and author context so you can find exactly the line you need.
-
“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.”
Meaning: Feynman wrote this in his appendix to the 1986 Rogers Commission report on the Challenger disaster, after seeing how optimistic management claims clashed with engineering facts. Apply it by trusting measurements over hopeful stories: check real data before promising a deadline or product result. -
“Pixar is the most technically advanced creative company; Apple is the most creatively advanced technical company.”
Meaning: Jobs gave this comparison in a 2005 Fortune interview, describing how his two companies blended art and engineering from opposite directions. It suggests building range: if you are technical, practise a creative skill, and if you are creative, learn a technical one, since the overlap produces the best work. -
“The Wright brothers flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility.”
Meaning: Kettering, who worked alongside early aviation and engineering pioneers, praised the Wright brothers for ignoring experts who called flight impossible. Doubt can be a smoke screen rather than a wall. Test a claim of impossibility yourself with a small experiment before accepting it. -
“Inner engineering is about creating a situation within yourself where your happiness is not dependent on external situations.”
Meaning: True well-being comes from within.