Cosmetic Quote by Henry Petroski

All conventional wisdom has an element of truth to it, but good design requires more than an element of truth - it requires an…

— Henry Petroski

It is really want, rather than need, that drives the process of technological evolution.

— Henry Petroski

A failed structure provides a counterexample to a hypothesis and shows us incontrovertibly what cannot be done, while a structure that stands without incident…

— Henry Petroski

Everything we do is designed, whether we're producing a magazine, a website, or a bridge. Design is really the creative invention that designs everything.

— Henry Petroski

I employ case studies of failure into my courses, emphasizing that they teach us much more than studies of success. It is not that…

— Henry Petroski

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…

— Henry Petroski

Failures are much more dramatic than successes, and people like drama. I think this is why automobile races draw such crowds. People expect spectacular…

— Henry Petroski

The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering gains made by the computer hardware…

— Henry Petroski

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by things large and small. I wanted to know what made my watch…

— Henry Petroski

Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail.

— Henry Petroski

The space shuttle was designed, at least in part, to broaden our knowledge of the universe. To scientists, the vehicle was a tool; to…

— Henry Petroski

Because they are so humbled by their creations, engineers are naturally conservative in their expectations of technology. They know that the perfect system is…

— Henry Petroski