Wright, Wilbur
Along with his brother Orville, he invented, built, and flew the world's first successful airplane.
Most quoted
"The difficulties which obstruct the pathway to success in flying machine construction are of three general classes: (1) Those which relate to the construction of the sustaining wings; (2) those which relate to the generation and application of the power required to drive the machine through the air; (3) those relating to the balancing and steering of the machine after it is actually in flight."
— from Speech to Western Society of Engineers, 1901
"The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously at the birds soaring freely through space, at tremendous speed, without any obstruction, without any effort, in a leisurely and graceful manner."
— from Some Aeronautical Experiments, 1900
"The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously at the birds soaring freely through space, at tremendous speed, without effort, in a leisurely way, on the crest of the air current."
— from Speech to the Western Society of Engineers, 1900
All quotes by Wright, Wilbur (377)
We are not in a hurry to make money. We are in a hurry to make a machine that will fly.
The problem of flight is not one of invention, but of discovery.
The machine itself is nothing. The art of using it is everything.
We do not believe that the problem of human flight is yet solved.
The machine is a success. It flies.
The aeroplane will not be a weapon of war. It will be a means of peace.
We have been trying to solve the problem of human flight for many years.
The aeroplane is not a toy. It is a serious machine.
We have not yet reached the limit of what can be done with the aeroplane.
The aeroplane will revolutionize transportation.
We have learned a great deal from our failures.
The aeroplane is a wonderful invention.
We are just at the beginning of what can be done with the aeroplane.
The aeroplane will make the world a smaller place.
We have always believed that human flight was possible.
The aeroplane is a testament to human ingenuity.
The aeroplane will change the way we live.
We have dedicated our lives to the problem of flight.
The aeroplane is a symbol of progress.
We have overcome many obstacles in our quest for flight.
Contemporaries of Wright, Wilbur
Other Inventions born within 50 years of Wright, Wilbur (1867–1912).