--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember on one of my many visits with…" description: "\"“I remember on one of my many visits with Thomas A. Edison , I brought up the question of Ingersoll . I asked this great genius what he thought of him,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/joseph-lewis-20519_admiration_i-remember-on-one-of-my-many-visits-with_2968615.jpg" --- # I remember on one of my many visits with Thomas A. Edison… ![“I remember on one of my many visits with Thomas A. Edison , I brought up the question of Ingersoll . I asked this great genius what he thought of him, and he replied, 'He was grand.' I told Mr. Edison that I had been invited to deliver a radio address on Ingersoll , and would he be kind enough to…” quote by Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/joseph-lewis-20519_admiration_i-remember-on-one-of-my-many-visits-with_2968615.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/joseph-lewis-20519_admiration_i-remember-on-one-of-my-many-visits-with_2968615.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/joseph-lewis-20519_admiration_i-remember-on-one-of-my-many-visits-with_2968615.jpg) > ““I remember on one of my many visits with Thomas A. Edison , I brought up the question of Ingersoll . I asked this great genius what he thought of him, and he replied, 'He was grand.' I told Mr. Edison that I had been invited to deliver a radio address on Ingersoll , and would he be kind enough to write me a short appreciation of him. This he did, and a photostat of that letter is now a part of this house. In it you will read what Mr. Edison wrote. He said: ' I think that Ingersoll had all the attributes of a perfect man, and, in my opinion, no finer personality ever existed …' I mention this as an indication of the tremendous influence Ingersoll had upon the intellectual life of his time. To what extent did Ingersoll influence Edison ? It was Thomas A. Edison 's freedom from the narrow boundaries of theological dogma, and his thorough emancipation from the degrading and stultifying creed of Christianity, that made it possible for him to wrest from nature her most cherished secrets, and bequeath to the human race the richest of legacies. Mr. Edison told me that when Ingersoll visited his laboratories, he made a record of his voice, but stated that the reproductive devices of that time were not as good as those later developed, and, therefore, his magnificent voice was lost to posterity.”” [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Edison admired Ingersoll’s rationalist influence, crediting him with liberating scientific thought from religious constraints. **In simple terms:** Edison valued Ingersoll’s impact on free thinking. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of intellectual freedom. Themes science freedom influence Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type historical analytical When to use this quote - historical research - public speaking - education Key Concepts rationalism secularism Questions to Reflect On - How do we assess true influence in history? - What modern ideas challenge scientific progress? A Different Perspective Edison’s view may overstate Ingersoll’s role. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admiration/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison/) [Edison Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison-told-4558657/) [Edison Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison-wrote-2062463/) [Emancipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipation/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influence Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-edison-4558658/) [Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingersoll/) [Ingersoll Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingersoll-influence-3716486/) [Ingersoll Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingersoll-intellectual-4558659/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Magnificent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnificent/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Perfect man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-man/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Robert-g-ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robert-g-ingersoll/) [Robert-green-ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Robert-ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robert-ingersoll/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Thomas edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thomas-edison/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [“When I visited George Bernard Shaw , in 1948, at his home in Aylot, a suburb of London, he was extremely anxious for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-i-visited-george-bernard-shaw-in-1948-at-his-home-in-aylot-a/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“The Phonograph knows more about us than we know ourselves,” Thomas Edison wrote in 1888. “For it retains the memory of many things which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-petrusich/the-phonograph-knows-more-about-us-than-we-know-ourselves-thomas/) [Amanda Petrusich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-petrusich/) > [“We have heard the stories: Duke Ellington would say, “I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” 5 Tennessee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lewis/we-have-heard-the-stories-duke-ellington-would-say-i-merely-took-the/) [Sarah Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lewis/) > [“ Could I but acquaint the world with Robert G. 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Edison , I brought up the question of Ingersoll . I asked this great genius what he thought of him, and he replied, 'He was grand.' I told Mr. Edison that I had been invited to deliver a radio address on Ingersoll , and would he be kind enough to write me a short appreciation of him. This he did, and a photostat of that letter is now a part of this house. In it you will read what Mr. Edison wrote. He said: ' I think that Ingersoll had all the attributes of a perfect man, and, in my opinion, no finer personality ever existed …' I mention this as an indication of the tremendous influence Ingersoll had upon the intellectual life of his time. To what extent did Ingersoll influence Edison ? It was Thomas A. Edison 's freedom from the narrow boundaries of theological dogma, and his thorough emancipation from the degrading and stultifying creed of Christianity, that made it possible for him to wrest from nature her most cherished secrets, and bequeath to the human race the richest of legacies. 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