Thomas Edison — "I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forw…"
I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
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More from Thomas Edison
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Failure is not a setback but progress. Each attempt that does not work eliminates a dead end and narrows the path toward a solution. Rather than viewing mistakes as proof of inadequacy, treat them as useful data that brings you closer to the answer. Persistence matters more than immediate success, and the willingness to keep testing ideas is what eventually produces breakthroughs worth celebrating.
Relevance to Thomas Edison
Edison reportedly tested thousands of filament materials before settling on carbonized bamboo for his practical incandescent bulb, and his Menlo Park laboratory ran on systematic trial and error across the phonograph, motion picture camera, and alkaline battery. He held 1,093 U.S. patents, a record built on iterating through countless failed prototypes. This quote captures the working philosophy that made his invention factory productive.
The era
During the late 1800s industrial revolution, inventors competed fiercely to commercialize electricity, sound recording, and communication. Edison worked against rivals like Tesla, Westinghouse, and Bell in an era when research was shifting from lone tinkerers to organized laboratories. Venture-style capital backed patents, and public fascination with progress meant setbacks were scrutinized in newspapers. His framing of failure as iteration helped justify the sustained investment his Menlo Park operation required.
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