Engineering Quote by Elliott Kay
““On-the-job training brought valuable lessons. Tanner learned that despite the numerous technological advances of the last few centuries, some jobs—like providing an enclosed, perpetual supply of oxygen—could only be accomplished with big, clunky machinery. He learned that engineers designed equipment with the belief that it would never need to be fixed, and thus ease of access was never an issue. He learned, therefore, that he hated design engineers. He””
About This Quote
Design engineers often assume equipment will never need repair, leading to inaccessible, bulky solutions; this mindset frustrates practical users.
In simple terms: Design often ignores repairability.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize maintainability in design.
Themes
engineering
design
maintenance
usability
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
technical
observational
When to use this quote
- product development
- industrial equipment
- infrastructure projects
- maintenance planning
Key Concepts
human‑centered design
systems thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- How can design balance durability with serviceability?
- What incentives encourage repair‑friendly engineering?
A Different Perspective
Repairable designs can increase cost and complexity.
![“[In eighteenth-century Britain] engineers for the most began as simple workmen, skilful and ambitious but usually illiterate and self-taught. They were either millwrights like Bramah, mechanics like Murdoch and George Stephenson, or smiths like Newcomen and Maudslay.” quote by John Desmond Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c15/john-desmond-bernal-14871_ambitious_in-eighteenth-century-britain-engineers_929710.jpg)
![“Leave a cavity behind the [wall] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick or lava in courses, and then bind them to the fronts by means of iron clamps and lead. The beds and builds, all settling equally and bonded at the joints, will not let…” quote by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d76/marcus-vitruvius-pollio-7498_bed_leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-a_5922.jpg)
