--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Later that month, Tesla arrived at the…" description: "\"“Later that month, Tesla arrived at the Straasbourg railway station to travel to the harbor and board the ocean liner Saturnia, which would take him to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/sean-patrick-6007_railway-station_later-that-month-tesla-arrived-at-the-st_1408422.jpg" --- # Later that month, Tesla arrived at the Straasbourg railway… ![“Later that month, Tesla arrived at the Straasbourg railway station to travel to the harbor and board the ocean liner Saturnia, which would take him to New York City—to Edison. His uncles had given him some money, and his boss had given him a letter of recommendation that read, “I know two great…” quote by Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/sean-patrick-6007_railway-station_later-that-month-tesla-arrived-at-the-st_1408422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/sean-patrick-6007_railway-station_later-that-month-tesla-arrived-at-the-st_1408422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/sean-patrick-6007_railway-station_later-that-month-tesla-arrived-at-the-st_1408422.jpg) > ““Later that month, Tesla arrived at the Straasbourg railway station to travel to the harbor and board the ocean liner Saturnia, which would take him to New York City—to Edison. His uncles had given him some money, and his boss had given him a letter of recommendation that read, “I know two great men and you are one of them; the other is this young man.”” [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) ## 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 journey to America was aided by financial support and a strong recommendation, highlighting the role of networking and patronage in career advancement. **In simple terms:** Support and references helped Tesla reach new opportunities. Key Takeaway Leverage connections and endorsements. Themes networking career migration patronage Mood determined hopeful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - seeking funding - career moves - immigration - professional introductions Key Concepts social capital opportunity structures Questions to Reflect On - How can you build genuine networks? - What risks come with relying on patronage? A Different Perspective Reliance on others may limit personal agency and create dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison/) [Edison Uncles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison-uncles-4956422/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Month Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/month-tesla-4956421/) [Railway station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railway-station/) [Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tesla/) [Tesla Arrived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tesla-arrived-4956420/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) ## Related quotes > [ I think \[Nikola Tesla\] was always like that. And so it was inevitable that he would be an inventor. Because it was so easy… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-think-nikola-tesla-was-always-like-that-and-so-it-was-inevitable/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [I don't like Thomas Edison. I'm a fan of Nicolai Tesla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-don-t-like-thomas-edison-i-m-a-fan-of-nicolai-tesla/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [ \[Nikola Tesla\] 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/) > [“can connect dots, you need to have dots to connect. The more material you’re exposed to in the world, the more grist you’ll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/can-connect-dots-you-need-to-have-dots-to-connect-the-more-material/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“There’s a catch to “combinatorial creativity,” though. Before you can connect dots, you need to have dots to connect. The more material you’re exposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/there-s-a-catch-to-combinatorial-creativity-though-before-you-can/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Within a week, the entire nation was raving about alternating current as the future of electricity. The fair was a debilitating blow to Edison’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/within-a-week-the-entire-nation-was-raving-about-alternating-current/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“though. Before you can connect dots, you need to have dots to connect. The more material you’re exposed to in the world, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/though-before-you-can-connect-dots-you-need-to-have-dots-to-connect/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Allis Chalmers, an American manufacturing company, and the railway and lighting division of the Westinghouse Company contracted Tesla to build his flying machine, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/allis-chalmers-an-american-manufacturing-company-and-the-railway-and/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Mr. Westinghouse, you have been my friend, you believed in me when others had no faith; you were brave enough to go ahead when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/mr-westinghouse-you-have-been-my-friend-you-believed-in-me-when/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Westinghouse owed Tesla over $1 million in royalties, an amount that grew daily. When Westinghouse described to Tesla the desperate situation, Tesla replied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/westinghouse-owed-tesla-over-1-million-in-royalties-an-amount-that/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Last-minute design changes were required, however, necessitating more money. Tesla had already obtained a second loan from Morgan, and when those funds ran out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/last-minute-design-changes-were-required-however-necessitating-more/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Betrayed by men he trusted, Tesla found himself unemployed and in desperate need of work to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/betrayed-by-men-he-trusted-tesla-found-himself-unemployed-and-in/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“His coils helped him discover yet another phenomenon that would change the world: radio waves. When Tesla tuned two coils to resonate at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/his-coils-helped-him-discover-yet-another-phenomenon-that-would/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“became known, was slow and expensive. Delays in receiving equipment plagued Tesla due to the complicated and unusual nature of his designs. In 1903,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/became-known-was-slow-and-expensive-delays-in-receiving-equipment/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) ## More by Sean Patrick > [“genius is a path that we can all take and derive much benefit, happiness, fulfillment, and success from...not a genetic windfall or divine gift.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/genius-is-a-path-that-we-can-all-take-and-derive-much-benefit/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“illuminates the path to greatness via a unique, accessible, and practical decoding of genius.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/illuminates-the-path-to-greatness-via-a-unique-accessible-and/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“became known, was slow and expensive. Delays in receiving equipment plagued Tesla due to the complicated and unusual nature of his designs. In 1903,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/became-known-was-slow-and-expensive-delays-in-receiving-equipment/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“the seed of greatness exists in every human being. Whether it sprouts or not is our choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/the-seed-of-greatness-exists-in-every-human-being-whether-it-sprouts/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“It’s no coincidence that geniuses not only dare to dream of the impossible for their work, but do the same for their lives. They’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/it-s-no-coincidence-that-geniuses-not-only-dare-to-dream-of-the/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“It’s no coincidence that geniuses not only dare to dream of the impossible for their work, but do the same for their lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/it-s-no-coincidence-that-geniuses-not-only-dare-to-dream-of-the-2/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Alexander’s adamantine will and belief in himself stemmed from the fact that he was willing to out-plan, out-work, and outlast anyone. He didn’t chase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/alexander-s-adamantine-will-and-belief-in-himself-stemmed-from-the/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Most opportunities never announce themselves with trumpets and confetti. They’re easily missed, mistaken, or squandered. They can be scary. And they never come with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/most-opportunities-never-announce-themselves-with-trumpets-and/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Facts and ideas are dead in themselves and it is the imagination that gives life to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/facts-and-ideas-are-dead-in-themselves-and-it-is-the-imagination-that/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“So, what does all this tell us? First, that the seed of greatness exists in every human being. Whether it sprouts or not is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/so-what-does-all-this-tell-us-first-that-the-seed-of-greatness-exists/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“The philosopher Edmund Burke said “there is a boundary to men’s passions when they act from feelings; but none when they are under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/the-philosopher-edmund-burke-said-there-is-a-boundary-to-men-s/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Joseph Campbell said, deep down inside, we don’t seek the meaning of life, but the experience of being alive. And that’s what the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/joseph-campbell-said-deep-down-inside-we-don-t-seek-the-meaning-of/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“In every field of human endeavor, the more visionary the work, the less likely it is to be quickly understood and embraced by lesser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/in-every-field-of-human-endeavor-the-more-visionary-the-work-the-less/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“What is generally recognized as “great talent” is, in almost all cases, nothing more than the outward manifestations of an unwavering dedication to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/what-is-generally-recognized-as-great-talent-is-in-almost-all-cases/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“His coils helped him discover yet another phenomenon that would change the world: radio waves. When Tesla tuned two coils to resonate at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/his-coils-helped-him-discover-yet-another-phenomenon-that-would/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) [Explore all 99 Sean Patrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) ## More Edison quotes > [The average person would have quit at the first failure. That’s why there have been many average men and only one Edison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-average-person-would-have-quit-at-the-first-failure-that-s-why/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Now tell me what got two thumbs and knows how to spit rhymes? Two thumbs up, you gon point em at this guy. Al…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xv/now-tell-me-what-got-two-thumbs-and-knows-how-to-spit-rhymes-two/) [XV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xv/) > [“Edison invented the lightbulb the way Steve Jobs invented the MP3 player: he wasn’t the first, but he was the first to make something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/edison-invented-the-lightbulb-the-way-steve-jobs-invented-the-mp3/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“And, of course, he eventually found it—proving that genius often really is just persistence in disguise. In applying the entirety of his physical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-of-course-he-eventually-found-it-proving-that-genius-often-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The State's got the Burden of Proof, Edison says, kind of like we do every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-state-s-got-the-burden-of-proof-edison-says-kind-of-like-we-do/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Without doubt, Thomas Edison is my greatest contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/without-doubt-thomas-edison-is-my-greatest-contemporary/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [ 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/) > [“I have not failed,” said Thomas Edison. “I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-moore/i-have-not-failed-said-thomas-edison-i-ve-just-found-ten-thousand/) [Margaret Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-moore/) > [Now, suppose a Negro does something really magnificent, and I glory, not in the benefit to mankind, but in the fact that the doer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/now-suppose-a-negro-does-something-really-magnificent-and-i-glory-not/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Mr Edison gave America just what was needed at that moment in history. They say that when people think of me, they think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/mr-edison-gave-america-just-what-was-needed-at-that-moment-in-history/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [When Marconi suggested the possibility of wireless transmission of sound (the radio),he was committed to a mental institution. But people like Lincoln, Edison, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-marconi-suggested-the-possibility-of-wireless-transmission-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When Edison first started out with his "crazy" idea for the light bulb, skeptics were unmoved. They called Thomas Edison a con man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-rottenberg/when-edison-first-started-out-with-his-crazy-idea-for-the-light-bulb/) [Linda Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-rottenberg/) > [The most famous self-made man in the world today is our own Edison. Talk with Mr. Edison and he will tell you he owes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-most-famous-self-made-man-in-the-world-today-is-our-own-edison/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Yes, my grandfather worked with Thomas Edison on the electric car, and he sold electric cars at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jardine/yes-my-grandfather-worked-with-thomas-edison-on-the-electric-car-and/) [Al Jardine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jardine/) > [“Edison concentrated upon the work of harmonizing natural laws”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/edison-concentrated-upon-the-work-of-harmonizing-natural-laws/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) [Browse all 108 Edison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Later that month, Tesla arrived at the Straasbourg railway station to travel to the harbor and board the ocean liner Saturnia, which would take him to New York City—to Edison. 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