Isambard Kingdom Brunel

The true test of a design is not how it looks on paper, but how it stands against the elements.

We must not be daunted by failure; we must learn from it and proceed with renewed vigour.

Iron is the material of the age; it gives us the power to realize our grandest conceptions.

A tunnel under a river is not a work of terror, but a work of science and perseverance.

The gauge of a railway should be wide enough to allow for stability and speed, yet not so wide as to be wasteful.

I have always found that the best way to get a thing done is to begin it yourself.

Precision in execution is as important as boldness in conception.

The wind and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator, and the ablest engineer.

I would rather have the approval of one competent judge than the applause of the multitude.

There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it is not important who gets the credit.

A single experiment is worth a thousand expert opinions.

The beauty of a structure lies in its fitness for its purpose.

I am building this ship to go to Australia and back without refuelling; that is the problem I have set myself.

Difficulties are meant to be overcome; they are the whetstones of ingenuity.

The most dangerous thing in engineering is a little knowledge.

I have no time for small plans; they do not stir the blood.

The law of progress is that everything grows bigger and faster.

A good engineer is a master of simplification.

I prefer the honest severity of iron to the deceitful compliancy of wood.

The value of a project is not in its novelty, but in its utility.