--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think [Nikola Tesla] was always like…" description: "\"I think [Nikola Tesla] was always like that. And so it was inevitable that he would be an inventor. Because it was so easy for him to think fourth-dime..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/paul-laffoley-7077_architect_i-think-nikola-tesla-was-always-like-tha_2814450.jpg" --- # I think \[Nikola Tesla\] was always like that. And so it was… ![“I think [Nikola Tesla] was always like that. And so it was inevitable that he would be an inventor. Because it was so easy for him to think fourth-dimensionally, dynamically. It wasn't just a static thing with him. In other words, it isn't the way an architect thinks, which is essentially static.” quote by Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/paul-laffoley-7077_architect_i-think-nikola-tesla-was-always-like-tha_2814450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/paul-laffoley-7077_architect_i-think-nikola-tesla-was-always-like-tha_2814450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/paul-laffoley-7077_architect_i-think-nikola-tesla-was-always-like-tha_2814450.jpg) > “I think \[Nikola Tesla\] was always like that. And so it was inevitable that he would be an inventor. Because it was so easy for him to think fourth-dimensionally, dynamically. It wasn't just a static thing with him. In other words, it isn't the way an architect thinks, which is essentially static.” [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tesla’s inventive mind operated beyond static thinking, embracing dynamic, fourth‑dimensional concepts unlike traditional architects. **In simple terms:** Tesla thought dynamically, beyond static designs. Key Takeaway Foster dynamic, multi‑dimensional thinking. Themes innovation dimensional thinking creativity architecture Mood inspirational analytical Type creative technical When to use this quote - design thinking - R&D - creative workshops Key Concepts science art philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate dynamic ideas with practical design? - What tools help visualize fourth‑dimensional concepts? A Different Perspective Dynamic thinking may overlook practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Architect Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect-thinks-3542747/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison/) [Fourth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fourth/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Inevitable Inventor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable-inventor-3542746/) [Inventor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventor/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nikola-tesla/) [Static](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/static/) [Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tesla/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Nikola Tesla\] would do it through lucid dreaming. He would, in a sense, dream up the engine, forget about it, come back, and then… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/nikola-tesla-would-do-it-through-lucid-dreaming-he-would-in-a-sense/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [“Thomas Edison was no an inventor but a very evil wealthy man with connections to the most wealthy Americans. He killed animals in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-kesterson-jr/thomas-edison-was-no-an-inventor-but-a-very-evil-wealthy-man-with/) [James Thomas Kesterson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-kesterson-jr/) > [Since the death of Nikola Tesla in 1943, his life has deserved a worthy biography. Bernard Carlson has delivered that in Tesla: Inventor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rosenberg/since-the-death-of-nikola-tesla-in-1943-his-life-has-deserved-a/) [Robert Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rosenberg/) > [“do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/do-not-think-there-is-any-thrill-that-can-go-through-the-human-heart/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [ Both \[Nikola\] Tesla and \[Leon\] Theremin were preternaturally young. I mean, for a long time Tesla was a young man well into his 70s.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/both-nikola-tesla-and-leon-theremin-were-preternaturally-young-i-mean/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ \[Nikola Tesla\] was thinking of parts actually moving, like exchanging positions in space through time. This would go over here, then that would go… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/nikola-tesla-was-thinking-of-parts-actually-moving-like-exchanging/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ \[Nikola Tesla and Leon Theremin\] were European gentlemen, very well-mannered, all of the stuff you associate with living in Europe. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/nikola-tesla-and-leon-theremin-were-european-gentlemen-very-well/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ \[Nikola Tesla\] said he had no interest in the spiritual. He didn't believe in telepathy, didn't believe in any of that stuff, didn't believe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/nikola-tesla-said-he-had-no-interest-in-the-spiritual-he-didn-t/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ I began to analyze the movie \[The Day the Earth Stood Still\] and said it was really made out of these two characters \[Nikola… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-began-to-analyze-the-movie-the-day-the-earth-stood-still-and-said/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [The world, I think, will wait a long time for Nikola Tesla's equal in achievement and imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-howard-armstrong/the-world-i-think-will-wait-a-long-time-for-nikola-tesla-s-equal-in/) [Edwin Howard Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-howard-armstrong/) > [Just because men of renown, such as Edgar Cayce, Albert Einstein, Gandhi, or even Nikola Tesla, say something; doesn't that it is true...or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yourmaj3sty/just-because-men-of-renown-such-as-edgar-cayce-albert-einstein-gandhi/) [YourMaj3sty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yourmaj3sty/) > [Tesla Motor's original business plan had a copy of a letter from Nikola Tesla from the late 19th century talking about the challenges inherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/tesla-motor-s-original-business-plan-had-a-copy-of-a-letter-from/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [“Nikola Tesla predicted in 1926 that “when wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fagone/nikola-tesla-predicted-in-1926-that-when-wireless-is-perfectly/) [Jason Fagone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fagone/) > [“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.     —Nikola Tesla; inventor, physicist, supergenius When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/if-you-want-to-find-the-secrets-of-the-universe-think-in-terms-of/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [“Every living being is an engine, geared to the wheelwork of the universe." Nikola Tesla.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-oren/every-living-being-is-an-engine-geared-to-the-wheelwork-of-the/) [Lance Oren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-oren/) ## More by Paul Laffoley > [ I first heard of \[Orfeo Angelucci\] from Giuseppe Conti who gave me some books by him. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-first-heard-of-orfeo-angelucci-from-giuseppe-conti-who-gave-me-some/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ The whole thing that Dante \[Alighieri\] did was summed up in the medieval world. It's like St. Thomas Aquinas, the Summa Theologica. He didn't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/the-whole-thing-that-dante-alighieri-did-was-summed-up-in-the/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ You know, Mick Jagger's "Sympathy for the Devil." I think it was inspired by that \[H.P.Lovecraft stories\]. 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Because I'd been in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/at-one-time-in-the-mid-70s-i-became-the-president-of-the-boston/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ The Babson Institute, which is now an actual university, was started by this guy \[my father\] who also had a problem with believing in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/the-babson-institute-which-is-now-an-actual-university-was-started-by/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [As a kid, I was getting information in areas that no one else was getting. I think that was one of the reasons my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/as-a-kid-i-was-getting-information-in-areas-that-no-one-else-was/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ Stephen Hawking won \[Babson Institute competition \] one year with his black hole stuff. It's keeping an open mind on whether gravity exists or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/stephen-hawking-won-babson-institute-competition-one-year-with-his/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [I would say that it's probably impossible for a lot of people to even think what H.P. Lovecraft's theological state was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-would-say-that-it-s-probably-impossible-for-a-lot-of-people-to-even/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [My father was an extremely brilliant man. I consider him a genius, and so he probably could have joined Mensa. But why? I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/my-father-was-an-extremely-brilliant-man-i-consider-him-a-genius-and/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ \[My father\] was always saying I'd end up like my grandfather. Okay. My grandfather was an architect, I'm an architect. It's true, certain characteristics… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/my-father-was-always-saying-i-d-end-up-like-my-grandfather-okay-my/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ From the time of Dante \[Alighieri\], when you have the Ptolemaic universe, you had God on the outside like a hypersphere, and then in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/from-the-time-of-dante-alighieri-when-you-have-the-ptolemaic-universe/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ Walter C. Wright has a more cogent presentation than my father did about \[gravity\] being a push. 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