Vannevar Bush

There is a growing mountain of research. But there is increased evidence that we are being bogged down today as science gets more and more complex by the sheer bulk of the record. The investigator is staggered by the findings and conclusions of thousands of other workers—conclusions which he cannot find time to grasp, much less to remember.

A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.

The human mind operates by association. With one item in its grasp, it snaps instantly to the next that is suggested by the association of thoughts, in accordance with some intricate web of trails carried by the cells of the brain.

Our methods of transmitting and reviewing the results of research are generations old and by now are totally inadequate for their purpose.

Science has been the endless frontier, and so it will continue to be as long as man has the will to explore and the vision to understand.

Basic research is performed without thought of practical ends. It results in general knowledge and an understanding of nature and its laws.

Applied research is research directed to the practical application of knowledge.

New products and new processes do not appear full-grown. They are founded on new principles and new conceptions, which in turn result from basic scientific research.

The publicly and privately supported colleges, universities, and research institutes are the centers of basic research. They are the wellsprings of knowledge and understanding.

The Government should accept new responsibilities for promoting the flow of new scientific knowledge and the development of scientific talent in our youth.

The world has been made safe for democracy, but it has not been made safe for peace.

The greatest danger to democracy is not the atomic bomb, but the apathy of the people.

The machine is not an enemy, but a tool. It is up to us to use it wisely.

The future of civilization depends on our ability to control the forces we have unleashed.

The scientist is not a magician, but a man who seeks to understand the laws of nature.

The engineer is a man who applies the laws of nature to the service of man.

The greatest invention of all time is the human mind.

The true scientist is a man who is never satisfied with what he knows, but always seeks to know more.

The true engineer is a man who is never satisfied with what he has built, but always seeks to build better.

The true leader is a man who inspires others to achieve greatness.