Wright, Orville
Along with his brother Wilbur, he invented, built, and flew the world's first successful airplane.
Most quoted
"The first successful flight was made on December 17, 1903. We were in the air for 12 seconds and flew 120 feet. It was the first time in the history of the world that a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started."
— from Official statement/letter, 1903
"The first flight lasted only 12 seconds, but it was nevertheless the first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started."
— from Letter to his father, December 17, 1903, 1903
"The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their tedious travels across prairies and mountains and deserts, looked enviously at the birds soaring freely through space, at the swiftness of their flight, and at the ease with which they seemingly moved at will through the air."
— from Speech to the Aero Club of America, 1908
All quotes by Wright, Orville (384)
We have opened the door to a new world.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
We have made the impossible possible.
We have always been driven by curiosity.
The greatest adventure is yet to come.
We have laid the foundation for a new industry.
The world is now a smaller place.
The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their tedious travels across prairies and mountains and deserts, looked enviously at the birds soaring freely through space, at the swiftness of their flight, and at the ease with which they seemingly moved at will through the air.
If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.
The airplane has been an enigma to the public. It has been a plaything for the rich, a weapon for war, and a means of transportation for the few.
It is not necessary to be a scientist to make an invention. It is necessary to be a dreamer.
The machine itself is but a tool. The human element is the most important factor.
The course of invention is not a straight line. It is full of twists and turns.
The greatest joy in life is to accomplish something that people say you cannot achieve.
The airplane will make the world a smaller place.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
We were not looking for fame or fortune. We were just trying to solve a problem.
The airplane is a symbol of human ingenuity and perseverance.
The air, like the sea, is a universal highway.
Contemporaries of Wright, Orville
Other Inventions born within 50 years of Wright, Orville (1871–1948).