Quotes from Edwin Land

Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity.

All you have learned from history is old ways of making mistakes. There is nothing that history can tell you about what we must do tomorrow. Only what we must not do.

Politeness is the poison of collaboration.

This is the most exciting part of being human. It is using our brains in the highest way. Otherwise we are just healthy animals

I have long aspired to make our company a noble prototype of industry, penetrating in science, reliable in engineering, creative in aesthetics and wholesomely prosperous in economics.

A significant inventionmust be startling, unexpected. It must come to a world that is not prepared for it.

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.

I submit to you that when in each man the dream of personal greatness dies, democracy loses the real source of its future strength.

The second great product of industry should be the rewarding life for every person

The first thing you do is teach the person to feel that the vision is very important and nearly impossible. That draws out the drive in the winner.

It's not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas.

If you dream of something worth doing and then simply go to work on it and don't think anything of personalities, or emotional conflicts, or of money, or of family distractions it is amazing how quickly you get through those 5 000 steps.

You cannot separate the composition from the life of the moment. It is all one thing, to be decided in a split second while you're living through it.

If you dream of something worth doing and then simply go to work on it and don't think anything of personalities, or emotional conflicts, or of money, or of family distractions; it is amazing how quickly you get through those 5,000 steps.

Famous in our circles is the story of the visiting English banker who in 1948 upon seeing our model 95 camera commented, 'Very interesting, but why would one want a picture in a minute?'

Don't undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible.

Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess.

Work only on problems that are manifestly important and seem to be nearly impossible to solve. That way you will have a natural market for your product and no competition.

The most important thing about power is to make sure you don't have to use it.

Any problem can be solved using the materials in the room.

Industry is best at the intersection of science and art.

One of the best ways to keep a great secret is to shout it.

It's not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas.

There's a rule they don't teach you at the Harvard Business School. It is, if anything is worth doing, it's worth doing to excess.