Thomas Edison: Many Failed People Were Near Success When They Gave Up

Today’s words of motivation come from one of the most prodigious inventors and entrepreneurs in history: Thomas Alva Edison, the Wizard of Menlo Park, who lived from 1847 to 1931. To say Edison was prolific in his innovation would be a vast understatement; he held 1,093 US patents in his name, and many more from nations abroad. He developed an incredible amount of important and influential technologies ranging from one of the first motion picture cameras to the effective and long-lasting incandescent light bulb. His birthday — February 11 — is recognized by the U.S. government as National Inventors Day.

As an inventor, Edison knew the value of failure. He couldn’t have invented all these indelible devices without having to go back to the drawing board multiple times. That sentiment is echoed in the following quote:

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