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)
Patents are the lifeblood of invention.
Brotherhood is the key to success.
We learned by doing, not by talking.
The engine must be reliable.
Dreams become reality through hard work.
Skeptics are the fuel for invention.
The wing is the soul of the machine.
Life is too short not to fly.
Innovation requires courage.
We built it with our hands.
The wind is our ally.
Failure is the stepping stone to success.
Aviation will change the world.
Precision is paramount in flight.
Family support is everything.
The propeller is a rotating wing.
Curiosity drives discovery.
We flew first, others followed.
The sky is not the limit.
On his deathbed: I have been rather active today.
Contemporaries of Wright, Wilbur
Other Inventions born within 50 years of Wright, Wilbur (1867–1912).