--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scranton showed that we have been…" description: "\"“Scranton showed that we have been building and using jet engines in a completely trial-and-error experiential manner, without anyone truly understandi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_jet-engines_scranton-showed-that-we-have-been-buildi_2976732.png" --- # Scranton showed that we have been building and using jet… ![“Scranton showed that we have been building and using jet engines in a completely trial-and-error experiential manner, without anyone truly understanding the theory. Builders” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_jet-engines_scranton-showed-that-we-have-been-buildi_2976732.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_jet-engines_scranton-showed-that-we-have-been-buildi_2976732.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_jet-engines_scranton-showed-that-we-have-been-buildi_2976732.png) > ““Scranton showed that we have been building and using jet engines in a completely trial-and-error experiential manner, without anyone truly understanding the theory. Builders”” [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovation often emerges from trial‑and‑error without full theoretical understanding, but this can be inefficient and risky. **In simple terms:** We build by trial and error, lacking theory. Key Takeaway Combine experimentation with theory for smarter building. Themes innovation learning uncertainty Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - engineering projects - startup development - scientific research Key Concepts experimentation theory systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate theory into practice? - When is trial‑and‑error justified? A Different Perspective Pure trial‑and‑error can waste resources and cause failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Error Experiential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/error-experiential-4609543/) [Jet engines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jet-engines/) [Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scranton-2198827/) [Scranton Showed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scranton-showed-4609542/) [Theory Builders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-builders-3686634/) ## Related quotes > [It is obvious that mathematics needs both sorts of mathematicians, theory-builders and problem-solvers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/it-is-obvious-that-mathematics-needs-both-sorts-of-mathematicians/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [I am from Scranton, PA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rippon/i-am-from-scranton-pa/) [Adam Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rippon/) > [We tend to prefer candidates that don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/we-tend-to-prefer-candidates-that-don-t-talk-about-us-one-way-in/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [This is Buffalo, New York. It's like. Scranton without the charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ludwig/this-is-buffalo-new-york-it-s-like-scranton-without-the-charm/) [Ken Ludwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ludwig/) > [Pennsylvania couldn't be prouder of our native son, Joe Biden from Scranton. No one knows us better than Joe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-casey-jr/pennsylvania-couldn-t-be-prouder-of-our-native-son-joe-biden-from/) [Bob Casey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-casey-jr/) > [I was the worst-dressed person in Scranton. I was a total nerd. Obviously, I got picked on, but I was also able to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-was-the-worst-dressed-person-in-scranton-i-was-a-total-nerd/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [The eagle may soar, but the weasel never gets sucked into a jet engine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-benfield/the-eagle-may-soar-but-the-weasel-never-gets-sucked-into-a-jet-engine/) [John Benfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-benfield/) > [All military and most commercial aircraft use our designs that process power from jet engines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amar-bose/all-military-and-most-commercial-aircraft-use-our-designs-that/) [Amar Bose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amar-bose/) > [. . . It wasn't until the jet engine came into being and that engine was coupled with special airplane designs - such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sutter/it-wasn-t-until-the-jet-engine-came-into-being-and-that-engine-was/) [Joe Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sutter/) > [Before birds get sucked into jet engines, do they ever think, Is that Rod Stewart in first class?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/before-birds-get-sucked-into-jet-engines-do-they-ever-think-is-that/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [Sure, I've gotten old. I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees... I've fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/sure-i-ve-gotten-old-i-ve-had-two-bypass-surgeries-a-hip-replacement/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [Eagles may soar, but weasles don't get sucked into jet engines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eagles-may-soar-but-weasles-don-t-get-sucked-into-jet-engines/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I still need Marines who can shoot and salute. But I need Marines who can fix jet engines and man sophisticated radar sets, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-cushman-jr/i-still-need-marines-who-can-shoot-and-salute-but-i-need-marines-who/) [Robert E. Cushman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-cushman-jr/) > [A Swiss man this week successfully tested a new device he built which is a retractable wing with four jet engines strapped to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/a-swiss-man-this-week-successfully-tested-a-new-device-he-built-which/) [Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/) > [whhheeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! The scream of jet engines rises to a crescendo on the runways of the world. Every second, somewhere or other, a plane touches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/whhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-the-scream-of-jet-engines-rises-to-a-crescendo/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) ## More by Nassim Nicholas Taleb > [To become a philosopher, start by walking very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/to-become-a-philosopher-start-by-walking-very-slowly/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [My nightmare scenario is that the government saves Citibank once again, as well as the other banks, and business resumes as usual. Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“One needs to go out and buy a lottery ticket in order to win. Does it mean that the work involved in the trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-needs-to-go-out-and-buy-a-lottery-ticket-in-order-to-win-does-it/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/individuals-should-think-about-the-worst-case-scenarios-and-plan-for/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“If you are looking for your misplaced wallet in your living room, in a trial and error mode, you exercise rationality by not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-are-looking-for-your-misplaced-wallet-in-your-living-room-in-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Most humans manage to squander their free time, as free time makes them dysfunctional, lazy, and unmotivated—the busier they get, the more active they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/most-humans-manage-to-squander-their-free-time-as-free-time-makes/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“loss of bone density and degradation of the health of the bones also causes aging, diabetes, and, for males, loss of fertility and sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/loss-of-bone-density-and-degradation-of-the-health-of-the-bones-also/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Explore all 635 Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More Jet engines quotes > [A Swiss man this week successfully tested a new device he built which is a retractable wing with four jet engines strapped to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/a-swiss-man-this-week-successfully-tested-a-new-device-he-built-which/) [Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/) > [I still need Marines who can shoot and salute. But I need Marines who can fix jet engines and man sophisticated radar sets, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-cushman-jr/i-still-need-marines-who-can-shoot-and-salute-but-i-need-marines-who/) [Robert E. Cushman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-cushman-jr/) > [Eagles may soar, but weasles don't get sucked into jet engines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eagles-may-soar-but-weasles-don-t-get-sucked-into-jet-engines/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sure, I've gotten old. I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees... I've fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/sure-i-ve-gotten-old-i-ve-had-two-bypass-surgeries-a-hip-replacement/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [Before birds get sucked into jet engines, do they ever think, Is that Rod Stewart in first class?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/before-birds-get-sucked-into-jet-engines-do-they-ever-think-is-that/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [The eagle may soar, but the weasel never gets sucked into a jet engine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-benfield/the-eagle-may-soar-but-the-weasel-never-gets-sucked-into-a-jet-engine/) [John Benfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-benfield/) > [All military and most commercial aircraft use our designs that process power from jet engines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amar-bose/all-military-and-most-commercial-aircraft-use-our-designs-that/) [Amar Bose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amar-bose/) > [. . . It wasn't until the jet engine came into being and that engine was coupled with special airplane designs - such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sutter/it-wasn-t-until-the-jet-engine-came-into-being-and-that-engine-was/) [Joe Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sutter/) > [whhheeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! The scream of jet engines rises to a crescendo on the runways of the world. Every second, somewhere or other, a plane touches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/whhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-the-scream-of-jet-engines-rises-to-a-crescendo/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) [Browse all 10 Jet engines quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jet-engines/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Scranton showed that we have been building and using jet engines in a completely trial-and-error experiential manner, without anyone truly understanding the theory. 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