The Wright Brothers

Engineering American 1867 – 1948 377 quotes

Built and flew first successful airplane

Quotes by The Wright Brothers

The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in half-civilized days, watched the birds and envied them. In the more civilized days, we dreamed of flying, but we did not know how to do it. Now we know how to do it, and we are doing it.

Interview 1908

It is not necessary to be a horse to be a jockey.

Letter to Octave Chanute 1901

If we worked on the assumption that what is currently regarded as impossible is possible, we should be able to make some progress.

Letter to Octave Chanute 1902

The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas.

Personal reflection 1900

The course of an inventor's life is not a bed of roses.

Speech 1908

We could hardly wait to get up in the morning.

Personal reflection 1903

The only way to learn to fly is to fly.

Personal reflection 1903

Success is not a matter of luck, but of hard work and perseverance.

Speech 1908

No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris.

Interview (often misattributed or taken out of context, but reflects early skepticism) 1908

The machine itself is the best teacher.

Personal reflection 1903

We were lucky enough to have been born at the right time.

Interview 1908

The problem of flight is one of the most difficult of all problems.

Letter to Octave Chanute 1901

We do not believe in the impossible.

Speech 1908

The bird is the master, the man is the pupil.

Personal reflection 1900

The air is an ocean, and we are learning to navigate it.

Personal reflection 1903

We had to be our own engineers, our own mechanics, our own pilots.

Speech 1908

The way to success is to keep on trying.

Speech 1908

The difficulties are not so great as they appear.

Letter to Octave Chanute 1901

We were not afraid to make mistakes.

Personal reflection 1903

The greatest joy in life is to accomplish something that others say cannot be done.

Speech 1908