Art Quote by Henry Petroski
“No one wants to learn from mistakes, but we cannot learn enough from successes to go beyond the state of the art.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Engineering Conference, 1995
Mistakes are avoided, yet successes alone cannot push innovation beyond current limits.
In simple terms: Learning only from success is insufficient for progress.
Key Takeaway
Study both failures and successes.
Themes
innovation
learning
risk
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
technical
motivational
When to use this quote
- product development
- research labs
- startup pivots
Key Concepts
experimental design
continuous improvement
Questions to Reflect On
- What can we learn from past successes?
- How to balance risk and learning?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on success may repeat past errors.
![“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)
