--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I get an idea I start at once…" description: "\"When I get an idea I start at once building it up in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements and operate the device in my mind. It..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/nikola-tesla-1383_balance_when-i-get-an-idea-i-start-at-once-build_680860.jpg" --- # When I get an idea I start at once building it up in my… ![“When I get an idea I start at once building it up in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements and operate the device in my mind. It is absolutely immaterial to me whether I run my turbine in my thought or test it in my shop. I even note if it is out of balance.” quote by Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/nikola-tesla-1383_balance_when-i-get-an-idea-i-start-at-once-build_680860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/nikola-tesla-1383_balance_when-i-get-an-idea-i-start-at-once-build_680860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/nikola-tesla-1383_balance_when-i-get-an-idea-i-start-at-once-build_680860.jpg) > “When I get an idea I start at once building it up in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements and operate the device in my mind. It is absolutely immaterial to me whether I run my turbine in my thought or test it in my shop. I even note if it is out of balance.” [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tesla describes mentally constructing and testing inventions before physical building, emphasizing imagination as a design tool. **In simple terms:** He visualizes and refines ideas in his mind before building. Key Takeaway Use mental simulation to improve designs early. Themes creativity imagination design innovation Mood focused analytical Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - engineering design - product development - creative problem solving Key Concepts mental modeling prototype iteration Questions to Reflect On - How can mental rehearsal reduce prototype costs? - What limits imagination in engineering? A Different Perspective Physical testing still needed for validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Construction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/construction/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvement/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [My imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-imagination/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Turbines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turbines/) ## Related quotes > [I do not rush into constructive work. When I get an idea, I start right away to build it up in my mind. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/i-do-not-rush-into-constructive-work-when-i-get-an-idea-i-start-right/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-art-certainly-is-the-vehicle-for-us-to-develop-any-new-ideas/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [“Reading stimulates the imagination and a good imagination can change the world in the most splendid of ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-wood/reading-stimulates-the-imagination-and-a-good-imagination-can-change/) Meredith Wood > [I remembered seeing it and it was this metallic turbine and I thought it was beautiful. I had never been in a power plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-remembered-seeing-it-and-it-was-this-metallic-turbine-and-i-thought/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I do not rush into actual work. When I get a new idea, I start at once building it up in my imagination, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/i-do-not-rush-into-actual-work-when-i-get-a-new-idea-i-start-at-once/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [ How extraordinary was my life an incident may illustrate... \[As a youth\] I was fascinated by a description of Niagara Falls. I had perused,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/how-extraordinary-was-my-life-an-incident-may-illustrate-as-a-youth-i/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [To power the country by building 186,000 fifty-story wind turbines - and running 19,000 miles of new transmission lines - just seems impractical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/to-power-the-country-by-building-186-000-fifty-story-wind-turbines/) [Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/) > [Clearly, there are many places where diesel is king or gas-turbine is king, or IC engines will win, but there are many places in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-kamen/clearly-there-are-many-places-where-diesel-is-king-or-gas-turbine-is/) [Dean Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-kamen/) > [The mountains and moors, the wild uplands, are to be staked out like vampires in the sun, their chests pierced with rows of five-hundred-foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kingsnorth/the-mountains-and-moors-the-wild-uplands-are-to-be-staked-out-like/) [Paul Kingsnorth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kingsnorth/) > [Did you ever feel, as though you had something inside you that was only waiting for you to give it a chance to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/did-you-ever-feel-as-though-you-had-something-inside-you-that-was/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Conventional turbines only work up to 200 feet, but capturing a small fraction of the global wind energy at higher altitudes could be sufficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/conventional-turbines-only-work-up-to-200-feet-but-capturing-a-small/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [I think we've found a better solution on North Haven and Vinalhaven: Instead of paying increasing expensive electric bills every month, with the money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chellie-pingree/i-think-we-ve-found-a-better-solution-on-north-haven-and-vinalhaven/) [Chellie Pingree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chellie-pingree/) > [Hopelessly uneconomic on any substantial scale, since it requires a conventional power back-up for when the wind stops blowing, forests of wind turbines are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-lawson/hopelessly-uneconomic-on-any-substantial-scale-since-it-requires-a/) [Nigel Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-lawson/) > [The current anger at the march of turbines and pylons across the hills of Britain is not from nimbys. Government money has lubricated most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-jenkins/the-current-anger-at-the-march-of-turbines-and-pylons-across-the/) [Simon Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-jenkins/) > [Turbines are a curiosity, but only once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-murray/turbines-are-a-curiosity-but-only-once/) [Anne Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-murray/) ## More by Nikola Tesla > [From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [In a time not distant, it will be possible to flash any image formed in thought on a screen and render it visible at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/in-a-time-not-distant-it-will-be-possible-to-flash-any-image-formed/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Women will ignore precedent and startle civilization with their progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/women-will-ignore-precedent-and-startle-civilization-with-their/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Great moments are born great opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/great-moments-are-born-great-opportunity/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [ If he \[Thomas Edison\] had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/if-he-thomas-edison-had-a-needle-to-find-in-a-haystack-he-would-not/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Man, like the universe, is a machine. Nothing enters our minds or determines our actions which is not directly or indirectly a response to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/man-like-the-universe-is-a-machine-nothing-enters-our-minds-or/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/the-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical-phenomena-it-will-make/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [All knowledge or form conception is evoked through the medium of the eye, either in response to disturbances directly received on the retina or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/all-knowledge-or-form-conception-is-evoked-through-the-medium-of-the/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/every-living-being-is-an-engine-geared-to-the-wheelwork-of-the-2/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Perhaps I failed, but I did my best, These masters of mine may do the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/perhaps-i-failed-but-i-did-my-best-these-masters-of-mine-may-do-the/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Religion is simply an ideal. It is an ideal force that tends to free the human being from material bonds. I do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/religion-is-simply-an-ideal-it-is-an-ideal-force-that-tends-to-free/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/what-we-now-want-is-closer-contact-and-better-understanding-between/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [When a coil is operated with currents of very high frequency, beautiful brush effects may be produced, even if the coil be of comparatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/when-a-coil-is-operated-with-currents-of-very-high-frequency/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Of all the frictional resistances, the one that most retards human movement is ignorance, what Buddha called 'the greatest evil in the world.' The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/of-all-the-frictional-resistances-the-one-that-most-retards-human/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [I am even grateful to Einstein and others because through their erroneous theories they lead mankind away from that dangerous path I followed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/i-am-even-grateful-to-einstein-and-others-because-through-their/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) [Explore all 248 Nikola Tesla quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I get an idea I start at once building it up in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements and operate the device in my mind. It is absolutely immaterial to me whether I run my turbine in my thought or test it in my shop. 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