Is there a scientist with a greater impact on our modern world than Nikola Tesla? The inventor who gave electricity to the world paved the way for the countless technological advancements of the recent century, forever changing the way the whole world lives. Besides his obvious achievements as an inventor, he was a great mind and left us some incredible quotes and messages.
Today, we will discuss 10 interesting quotes by Nikola Tesla and the meaning behind them. If you search online, you will literally see hundreds of alleged quotes, that literally make it seem like every sentence said by the genius is considered a quote nowadays. We filtered them and selected the quotes below and we will discuss the messages behind each one as we understand it. Feel free to give us your personal opinion if you understand any of the given quotes in a different way.
Nikola Tesla Quotes
1. “Life is and will ever remain an equation incapable of solution, but it contains certain known factors.”
I will start with perhaps my favorite quote by Nikola Tesla which focuses on the understanding of life. I cannot but agree with this sentence as I too believe that life itself is an unsolvable mystery. More and more discoveries emerge on a yearly basis and we understand life more than people in Tesla’s contemporary world but in the end, I too believe that the equation called life will never be entirely solved.
2.“We crave for new sensations but soon become indifferent to them. The wonders of yesterday are today common occurrences”
This quote is also directly on point and to me, it addresses one of the greatest problems of our contemporary materialistic world – the constant desire for new things that we consider necessary until we acquire them.
3. “I am credited with being one of the hardest workers and perhaps I am, if thought is the equivalent of labour, for I have devoted to it almost all of my waking hours. But if work is interpreted to be a definite performance in a specified time according to a rigid rule, then I may be the worst of idlers.”
Here is another old quote by Nikola Tesla that perfectly fits into the essence of our modern world. For example, many people overlook certain professions or people’s inability to fit into a given schedule or deadline. At the same time, many people do not consider given professions to be serious and worthy of appreciation simply because they are not as physical or exhausting. To me, you can be a hard worker even if you have the simplest and calmest job in the world. Moreover, performance should not be so strictly examined through the prism of time. The final result is to be appreciated, not the time within which it was reached.
4. “You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension.”
An unpleasant thought but once again – absolutely correct. We all live in our own worlds and understand life differently. Unfortunately, we are entitled to see terrible things especially with the addition of social media. If this thought was presumptive 100 years ago, I can generally say that you will, unfortunately, live to see terrible man-made horrors.
5. “Its not the love you make. It’s the love you give.”
Here is a beautiful quote by Nikola Tesla you have definitely seen written somewhere online. It has become extremely popular and there is a reason why. We all need love and everyone deserves to be loved. However, I personally consider giving more love than you receive to be of higher importance. Moreover, one cannot expect to receive love if he/she does not give it back.
6. “Most persons are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly oblivious to what is passing on within themselves.”
I feel like this is an ever greater problem in our contemporary world than it was 100 years ago. We always contemplate on the outside world, we always look at the horizon and we forget that our well-being begins from within ourselves.
7. “My method is different. I do not rush into actual work. When I get an idea I start at once building it up in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements, and operate the device entirely in my mind.”
I feel like many of us can relate to this particular quote. It once again connects to the understanding of performance and productivity. I consider it rational to always overthink an idea in your mind before you attempt to create its physical form. Our lives nowadays are too rushed and we sacrifice too much in order to boost our productivity which is not always positive.
8. “Most certainly, some planets are not inhabited, but others are, and among these there must exist life under all conditions and phases of development.”
If the existence of alien life ever gets confirmed, it would change the world. Whether you believe that we are alone in the universe or not, Nikola Tesla‘s quote summarizes the most logical thought for me. It seems unlikely that the Earth is the only place in the universe with existing life.
9. “Inventors don’t have time for married life.”
Well, I will never fully understand the life of an inventor as this way of life is not my path. However, I can understand how different the life of an inventor is and how much effort it would take to leave your mark on history as an inventor. No marriage can work if you neglect it and in a similar way, you cannot succeed as an inventor if you neglect your work.
10. “The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter—for the future. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way.”
This quote by Nikola Tesla is great evidence of his self-consciousness. The path of an inventor is not easy. In most cases, you will not meet the approval you deserve. Tesla understood it and this quote is a great tip for the inventors that succeeded him. He may not be behind the latest technological advancements but he laid the foundations that made them possible like nobody else before him.
