--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt…" description: "\"Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach perfection. And engineers, like poets, are seldom completely satisfied with their creations. They n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/henry-petroski-10198_approach_engineering-like-poetry-is-an-attempt-to_1475706.png" --- # Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach… ![“Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach perfection. And engineers, like poets, are seldom completely satisfied with their creations. They notice, even if no one else does, the world that is not quite le mot juste, or the hairline crack that blemishes the structure.” quote by Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/henry-petroski-10198_approach_engineering-like-poetry-is-an-attempt-to_1475706.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/henry-petroski-10198_approach_engineering-like-poetry-is-an-attempt-to_1475706.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/henry-petroski-10198_approach_engineering-like-poetry-is-an-attempt-to_1475706.png) > “Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach perfection. And engineers, like poets, are seldom completely satisfied with their creations. They notice, even if no one else does, the world that is not quite le mot juste, or the hairline crack that blemishes the structure.” [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engineering, like poetry, constantly seeks perfection but never fully attains it, noticing subtle flaws. **In simple terms:** Engineers strive for perfect design. Key Takeaway Embrace continuous improvement. Themes engineering perfection creativity Mood analytical inspired Type philosophical technical When to use this quote - product development - quality assurance - design reviews Key Concepts design philosophy attention to detail continuous improvement Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle design imperfections? - What drives relentless refinement? A Different Perspective Perfection is unattainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Cracks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cracks/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Engineering Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering-like-3618771/) [Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) [Engineers Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers-like-2786638/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Like Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-poetry/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Satisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfied/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Engineers like to solve problems. 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To scientists, the vehicle was a tool; to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/the-space-shuttle-was-designed-at-least-in-part-to-broaden-our/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [No one wants to learn from mistakes, but we cannot learn enough from successes to go beyond the state of the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/no-one-wants-to-learn-from-mistakes-but-we-cannot-learn-enough-from/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/a-failed-structure-provides-a-counterexample-to-a-hypothesis-and/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [No art form points like poetry to this originality of language as to its essential and abiding concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/no-art-form-points-like-poetry-to-this-originality-of-language-as-to/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [“She’s like poetry. Like prose and love letters and lyrics, cascading down the center of a page.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/she-s-like-poetry-like-prose-and-love-letters-and-lyrics-cascading/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [Money is like poetry because both involve learning to communicate in a compressed language that packs a lot of meaning and consequence into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/money-is-like-poetry-because-both-involve-learning-to-communicate-in/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“What is truth?” I said. “Is it the shallow assurance that something literally took place, or is it about something far deeper, something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lister/what-is-truth-i-said-is-it-the-shallow-assurance-that-something/) [Michael Lister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lister/) > [Most songwriting like poetry takes a careful selection of words. Sometimes you're just channeling something and a selection of words come out that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-joy/most-songwriting-like-poetry-takes-a-careful-selection-of-words/) [Vance Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-joy/) > [... mathematics is very much like poetry ... what makes a good poem -- a great poem -- is that there is a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lipman-bers/mathematics-is-very-much-like-poetry-what-makes-a-good-poem-a-great/) [Lipman Bers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lipman-bers/) ## More 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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/all-conventional-wisdom-has-an-element-of-truth-to-it-but-good-design/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [It is really want, rather than need, that drives the process of technological evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/it-is-really-want-rather-than-need-that-drives-the-process-of/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/a-failed-structure-provides-a-counterexample-to-a-hypothesis-and/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [Everything we do is designed, whether we're producing a magazine, a website, or a bridge. 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I think this is why automobile races draw such crowds. People expect spectacular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/failures-are-much-more-dramatic-than-successes-and-people-like-drama/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/the-most-amazing-achievement-of-the-computer-software-industry-is-its/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-have-been-fascinated-by-things-large/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/successful-engineering-is-all-about-understanding-how-things-break-or/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/the-space-shuttle-was-designed-at-least-in-part-to-broaden-our/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/because-they-are-so-humbled-by-their-creations-engineers-are/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [Engineering is achieving function while avoiding failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/engineering-is-achieving-function-while-avoiding-failure/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [An over-reliance on past successes is a sure blueprint for future failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/an-over-reliance-on-past-successes-is-a-sure-blueprint-for-future/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [I was always told that I was good in mathematics, and I guess my grades and standardized test scores supported that. My worst subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/i-was-always-told-that-i-was-good-in-mathematics-and-i-guess-my/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) [Explore all 67 Henry Petroski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. 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I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. 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