Wright Brothers (Orville & Wilbur)

In its campaign to discredit others in the flying art, the Smithsonian has issued scores of these false and misleading statements.

It is a question of whether the machine was designed to be beautiful, or beautiful because it was well designed.

We were not as a matter of fact in the habit of thinking of the future. We were too busy with the present.

The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their weary journeys over endless plains, yearned for a swifter and less laborious mode of travel.

I confess that in 1901 I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for 50 years. Ever since I have distrusted myself and trusted him.

The course of the experiment was not always smooth. The machine would start all right, but the propelling power was not sufficient to overcome the resistance of the air.

We could not but feel that the time was at hand for man to make a practical flight.

The fact that the machine was controlled in all directions was a feature which had never been approached in any earlier flight of which we have any knowledge.

If we worked on the assumption that what is currently accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.

The greatest thing in either of our lives has been the privilege of working together.

It is not necessary to be a horse to be a good jockey.

The only difference between us and others is that we have made a more thorough study of the problem.

Learning the secret of flight from a bird was a good deal like learning the secret of magic from a magician—something the magician won't tell, and the bird can't tell.

We could not understand why the calculation of Lilienthal and others were so much in error.

The first great principle of success in flying is to learn to soar without power.

We did not find it necessary to use any of the formulas of the scientists, but we worked out our own formulas.

The greatest value of our work is that it will be an inspiration to others.

Success comes from being prepared for opportunities.

No one can appreciate the work and worry it cost us to build our first machine.

The machine itself was a thing of beauty, a marvel of ingenuity and simplicity.