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)
The Wright brothers flew right into history.
In flying, as in other pursuits, the most important thing is to keep your head.
We were lucky enough to never make the same mistake once.
The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall.
Experience is the only real teacher.
It is by repeated trials that we learn.
The fact that the great scientist believed in flying machines was the one thing that encouraged us to begin our studies.
We kill all the birds that fly near our houses.
Man's greatest desire is to fly.
The bird's skeleton is designed for flight.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
We could hardly wait to get up in the morning.
The Wright way to fly.
Aviation is the art of keeping a large mass of metal from falling out of the sky.
Our enemies are those who would hinder progress.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Invention is the talent of youth, and judgment that of age.
We owe much to the birds.
Trial and error is the only way.
The air is the new ocean.
Contemporaries of Wright, Wilbur
Other Inventions born within 50 years of Wright, Wilbur (1867–1912).