Karl Benz
A German engine designer and automobile engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile.
Most quoted
"I had to create the world from scratch. I had to create the engine, the chassis, the steering, the brakes, the clutch, the transmission, the radiator, the fuel tank, the carburetor, the ignition, the spark plugs, the tires, the body, the seats, the lights, the horn, the speedometer, the odometer, the fuel gauge, the oil gauge, the water temperature gauge, the battery, the generator, the starter, the the the..."
— from Interview, 1886
"I have often been asked why I did not patent the automobile. My answer is simple: I did not invent the wheel, nor the engine, nor the chassis. I merely put them together in a way that had not been done before. To patent the whole would be like patenting a sandwich."
— from Attributed
"The greatest challenge was not building the car, but convincing people they needed one. They were perfectly content with their horses, bless their dusty souls."
— from Attributed
All quotes by Karl Benz (401)
Jokes on me: I invented the car, but walking was free.
Key to invention: turn the impossible into the inevitable.
Reflections on life: every mile marker is a memory.
Engines whisper secrets of the universe to those who listen.
Comeback to critics: my car runs; your words don't.
The meaning of life is motion; stagnation is death.
Professional truth: test every bolt, trust no assumption.
Art of engineering: balance beauty with brute force.
Wisdom from the road: detours lead to discoveries.
On politics: roads unite nations more than treaties.
Humor in failure: my first engine was a steam-powered joke.
Famous drive: from workshop to world, one gear at a time.
Personal creed: invent for tomorrow, live for today.
Excerpt from patent thoughts: simplicity is the ultimate sophistication in mechanics.
Philosophy of progress: the wheel turns eternally.
Last words reflection: I go now, but my engines endure.
Science demands patience; the carburetor waited years for perfection.
Life's humor: inventing the future while mending the past.
Wisdom earned: collaborate, but steer your own course.
Art in motion: the automobile as a canvas on wheels.
Contemporaries of Karl Benz
Other Engineerings born within 50 years of Karl Benz (1844–1929).