All things Quote by Mark Twain
“It takes a thousand men to invent a telegraph, or a steam engine, or a phonograph, or a photograph, or a telephone or any other important thing-and the last man gets the credit and we forget the others. He added his little mite - that is all he did. These object lessons should teach us that ninety-nine parts of all things that proceed from the intellect are plagiarisms, pure and simple; and the lesson ought to make us modest. But nothing can do that.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Invention, 1885
Great inventions are the result of many contributors, yet history often credits only one, fostering hubris and overlooking collective effort.
In simple terms: Many people create inventions, but only one gets fame.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and share credit broadly.
Themes
humility
collaboration
recognition
history
innovation
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
observational
ethical
When to use this quote
- team meetings
- academic citations
- patent filings
- public acknowledgments
Key Concepts
Collective intelligence
ego
intellectual property
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we better acknowledge all contributors?
- What systems can reduce single‑author credit?
A Different Perspective
Progress can be hindered by inflated egos and neglect of teamwork.
![“I told [Kruesi] I was going to record talking, and then have the machine talk back. He thought it absurd. However, it was finished, the foil was put on; I then shouted "Mary had a little lamb," etc. I adjusted the reproducer, and the machine reproduced it perfectly. On first words spoken on a…” quote by Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a75/thomas-a-edison-866_absurd_i-told-kruesi-i-was-going-to-record-talk_452681.jpg)
![“After one of his [Hubert Humphrey] long-winded harangues I suggested he had probably been vaccinated with a phonograph needle. He responded by saying that I would have been a great success in the movies working for Eighteenth Century-Fox.” quote by Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/438/barry-goldwater-3353_century_after-one-of-his-hubert-humphrey-long-wi_331868.jpg)
