Airplane Quote by Henry Petroski
“Any design, whether its for a ship or an airplane, must be done in anticipation of potential failures.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Why Buildings Fall Down, Henry Petroski, 1994
Design must anticipate how things can fail to create safer, more reliable products.
In simple terms: Plan for failures when designing.
Key Takeaway
Design with failure in mind.
Themes
engineering
risk management
design
safety
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
technical
practical
When to use this quote
- architecture
- aerospace engineering
- product development
- quality assurance
Key Concepts
failure analysis
preventive design
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance safety with innovation?
- When is it acceptable to accept risk?
A Different Perspective
Over‑planning can stifle creativity and increase cost.
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![“[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only time will tell. For example...] The Talmud relates a story about two people who wanted to travel by boat. One broke his foot and was unable to make the trip, while his friend got on…” quote by Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/68d/zelig-pliskin-22951_anticipation_it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and_34545.jpg)
![“Whether or not science can be applied to that mental construct [i.e. the designed entity] is a matter of availability. If there is body of scientific knowledge that can be applied, then it would be foolish not to exploit it. However, if there is none, it does not mean that the thing cannot be…” quote by Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/17d/henry-petroski-10198_availability_whether-or-not-science-can-be-applied-to_341822.jpg)
