--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Airplanes were invented by natural…" description: "\"Airplanes were invented by natural selection. Now you can say that intelligent design designs our airplanes of today, but there was no intelligent desi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/burt-rutan-12448_airplane_airplanes-were-invented-by-natural-selec_2143209.jpg" --- # Airplanes were invented by natural selection. Now you can… ![“Airplanes were invented by natural selection. Now you can say that intelligent design designs our airplanes of today, but there was no intelligent design really designing those early airplanes. There were probably at least 30,000 different things tried, and when they crash and kill the pilot…” quote by Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/burt-rutan-12448_airplane_airplanes-were-invented-by-natural-selec_2143209.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/burt-rutan-12448_airplane_airplanes-were-invented-by-natural-selec_2143209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/burt-rutan-12448_airplane_airplanes-were-invented-by-natural-selec_2143209.jpg) > “Airplanes were invented by natural selection. Now you can say that intelligent design designs our airplanes of today, but there was no intelligent design really designing those early airplanes. There were probably at least 30,000 different things tried, and when they crash and kill the pilot, don't try that again.” [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design of early airplanes resulted from trial and error, not a single intelligent plan; evolution through many attempts. **In simple terms:** Airplanes emerged from many experiments, not a single design. Key Takeaway Accept iterative learning in engineering. Themes innovation evolution design Mood analytical optimistic Type technical inspirational When to use this quote - startup development - product design - software engineering - research labs Key Concepts trial and error engineering methodology Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance trial‑and‑error with strategic planning? - What role does intuition play in design? A Different Perspective Complex systems may need guided direction beyond random trials. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Airplanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplanes/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Intelligent design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-design/) [Natural selection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-selection/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Pilots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilots/) [Plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plane/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [Airplanes were invented for missionaries to complete the Great Commission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-cunningham/airplanes-were-invented-for-missionaries-to-complete-the-great/) [Loren Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-cunningham/) > [“Natural selection is not only a parsimonious, plausible and elegant solution; it is the only workable alternative to chance that has ever been suggested.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/natural-selection-is-not-only-a-parsimonious-plausible-and-elegant/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Proponents of intelligent design don't accept that some of the very complex nanomachines that we have inside ourselves could have come about solely on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/proponents-of-intelligent-design-don-t-accept-that-some-of-the-very/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [“The most essential prediction of Darwinism is that, given an astronomical number of chances, unintelligent processes can make seemingly-designed systems, ones of the complexity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-behe/the-most-essential-prediction-of-darwinism-is-that-given-an/) [Michael J. Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-behe/) > [“To understand Darwin's work, you have to distinguish between his theory of descent and his theory of natural selection. THe full name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/to-understand-darwin-s-work-you-have-to-distinguish-between-his/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [“...and specimens like this confirmed there had been some kind of divine rule in the universe because no natural selection process was up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/and-specimens-like-this-confirmed-there-had-been-some-kind-of-divine/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [“Today, the 4-billion-year-old regime of natural selection is facing a completely different challenge. In laboratories throughout the world, scientists are engineering living beings. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-4-billion-year-old-regime-of-natural-selection-is-facing-a/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. And then I went in and I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-spent-about-seven-years-during-the-vietnam-war-flight-testing/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [According to federal records, airplanes in America collide with an average of 100 ducks a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/according-to-federal-records-airplanes-in-america-collide-with-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That's the thing about flying: You could talk to someone for hours and never even know his name, share your deepest secrets and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/that-s-the-thing-about-flying-you-could-talk-to-someone-for-hours-and/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [Does it seem to anyone else that the world's sick population are on airplanes?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/does-it-seem-to-anyone-else-that-the-world-s-sick-population-are-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-morgan/the-way-i-see-it-you-can-either-work-for-a-living-or-you-can-fly/) Len Morgan > [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-plane-had-lost-power-in-all-three-engines-dropped-from-thirty/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Burt Rutan > [I like to call the difference between research and development. Some people use that interchangeably. They'll say R&D. They're two totally different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-like-to-call-the-difference-between-research-and-development-some/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [America was good enough to make a small compact lighter weight nuclear weapon. The Russians still had these big clunky heavy ones, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/america-was-good-enough-to-make-a-small-compact-lighter-weight/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [A true creator researches how to have confidence in nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/a-true-creator-researches-how-to-have-confidence-in-nonsense/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. And then I went in and I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-spent-about-seven-years-during-the-vietnam-war-flight-testing/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Flight out of the atmosphere is a simple thing to do and should have been available to the public twenty years ago. Ten years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/flight-out-of-the-atmosphere-is-a-simple-thing-to-do-and-should-have/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [We didn't know the importance of home computers before the Internet. We had them mostly for fun, then the Internet came along and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/we-didn-t-know-the-importance-of-home-computers-before-the-internet/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Virgin Galactic, which will be operating SpaceShipTwo, will be only one of several spacelines. The competitors for Virgin include the Russians, Bezos's Blue Origin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/virgin-galactic-which-will-be-operating-spaceshiptwo-will-be-only-one/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Within 25 years, virtual reality meetings will be essentially transparent to being there in person. Once we can do this, the idea of climbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/within-25-years-virtual-reality-meetings-will-be-essentially/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Everything looks nonsensical before it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/everything-looks-nonsensical-before-it-works/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [A NASA-funded study estimates that if the price of a ticket to space approached $100,000, close to a million people would buy one. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/a-nasa-funded-study-estimates-that-if-the-price-of-a-ticket-to-space/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Achieving something that has never existed in manned spaceflight and that is high volume and public access.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/achieving-something-that-has-never-existed-in-manned-spaceflight-and/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [There will be a new industry, and we are just now in the beginning. I will predict that in twelve or fifteen years there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/there-will-be-a-new-industry-and-we-are-just-now-in-the-beginning-i/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Our goal is to show that you can develop a robust, safe manned space program and do it at an extremely low cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/our-goal-is-to-show-that-you-can-develop-a-robust-safe-manned-space/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Usually the wacky people have the breakthroughs. The 'smart' people don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/usually-the-wacky-people-have-the-breakthroughs-the-smart-people-don-t/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [In the coming era of manned space exploration by the private sector, market forces will spur development and yield new, low-cost space technologies. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/in-the-coming-era-of-manned-space-exploration-by-the-private-sector/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Explore all 55 Burt Rutan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) ## More Airplane quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [I've jumped out of an airplane 34 times. I've dove 212 feet under water. I've done a lot of things that defied death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-ve-jumped-out-of-an-airplane-34-times-i-ve-dove-212-feet-under/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [I believe that anyone who flies in an airplane and doesn't spend most of his time looking out the window wastes his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-reisner/i-believe-that-anyone-who-flies-in-an-airplane-and-doesn-t-spend-most/) [Marc Reisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-reisner/) > [We live in a world where it has become politically correct to avoid absolutes. Many want all religions to be given the same honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-world-where-it-has-become-politically-correct-to-avoid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [On the second airplane to france and we're done ! yeyyyyyyyyy !! this one was more full :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmmopy/on-the-second-airplane-to-france-and-we-re-done-yeyyyyyyyyy-this-one/) Shmmopy > [The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-morgan/the-way-i-see-it-you-can-either-work-for-a-living-or-you-can-fly/) Len Morgan > [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I don't have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-don-t-have-a-fear-of-flying-i-have-a-fear-of-crashing/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [From computers to information technology to airplanes, it has been America's unique blend of republican government and free-market capitalism that has allowed us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-nethercutt/from-computers-to-information-technology-to-airplanes-it-has-been/) [George Nethercutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-nethercutt/) > [I've been racking my brain. I've been trying to figure out how Bob Dole's luggage got on my airplane...I told the doctor, I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-ve-been-racking-my-brain-i-ve-been-trying-to-figure-out-how-bob/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Sometimes life is like being stuck in the middle-seat of an airplane, next to a ridiculously fat person and a crying baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-is-like-being-stuck-in-the-middle-seat-of-an-airplane/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm sure the most favorite airplane in my career would still be the Sabre F86 cleft wing , which allowed me to be credited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-m-sure-the-most-favorite-airplane-in-my-career-would-still-be-the/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [John Travolta said he sometimes lets his friends take control of his airplane even though they don't know what they're doing. Then Travolta said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/john-travolta-said-he-sometimes-lets-his-friends-take-control-of-his/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) Browse all 935 Airplane quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Airplanes were invented by natural selection. Now you can say that intelligent design designs our airplanes of today, but there was no intelligent design really designing those early airplanes. 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