--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Through all the years of experimenting…" description: "\"Through all the years of experimenting and research, I never once made a discovery. I start where the last man left off. All my work was deductive, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/thomas-a-edison-866_discovery_through-all-the-years-of-experimenting-a_2133012.jpg" --- # Through all the years of experimenting and research, I… ![“Through all the years of experimenting and research, I never once made a discovery. I start where the last man left off. All my work was deductive, and the results I achieved were those of invention pure and simple.” quote by Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/thomas-a-edison-866_discovery_through-all-the-years-of-experimenting-a_2133012.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/thomas-a-edison-866_discovery_through-all-the-years-of-experimenting-a_2133012.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/thomas-a-edison-866_discovery_through-all-the-years-of-experimenting-a_2133012.jpg) > “Through all the years of experimenting and research, I never once made a discovery. I start where the last man left off. All my work was deductive, and the results I achieved were those of invention pure and simple.” [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He emphasizes building on others' work and using deduction to create simple inventions. **In simple terms:** Build on past work and think simply. Key Takeaway Leverage existing knowledge, apply deductive reasoning. Themes innovation deduction humility perseverance Mood reflective inspirational Type historical motivational When to use this quote - research labs - product development - academic studies - entrepreneurial ventures Key Concepts scientific method incremental invention intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance deduction with creative leaps? - What existing work can you extend today? A Different Perspective May overlook breakthrough ideas that require radical imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Insightful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insightful/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [I spent a lot of my teenage years experimenting with who I was as a person and not really getting it right. And then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charli-xcx/i-spent-a-lot-of-my-teenage-years-experimenting-with-who-i-was-as-a/) [Charli XCX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charli-xcx/) > [After 19 years of experimenting, a thousand mistakes, over 400 books, at least 200 bad diets... and a partridge in a pear tree, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/after-19-years-of-experimenting-a-thousand-mistakes-over-400-books-at/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [When there's no experimenting there's no progress. Stop experimenting and you go backward. If anything goes wrong, experiment until you get to the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/when-there-s-no-experimenting-there-s-no-progress-stop-experimenting/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Interest is the invention of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/interest-is-the-invention-of-satan/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [ I told \[Kruesi\] I was going to record talking, and then have the machine talk back. He thought it absurd. However, it was finished,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-told-kruesi-i-was-going-to-record-talking-and-then-have-the-machine/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come indirectly through accident, except the phonograph. No, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-never-did-anything-worth-doing-by-accident-nor-did-any-of-my/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/invention-is-10-inspiration-and-90-perspiration/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [None of my inventions came by accident. I see a worthwhile need to be met and I make trial after trial until it comes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/none-of-my-inventions-came-by-accident-i-see-a-worthwhile-need-to-be/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I enjoy experimenting with food and dish out innovative food items as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sobhita-dhulipala/i-enjoy-experimenting-with-food-and-dish-out-innovative-food-items-as/) [Sobhita Dhulipala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sobhita-dhulipala/) > [It's very much to do with how I'm feeling ... I love to be experimental and use eclectic mismatched things and put them together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/it-s-very-much-to-do-with-how-i-m-feeling-i-love-to-be-experimental/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [The lead singer for Deerhunter, Bradford Cox... I don't like saying people are geniuses or whatever, but I just think that dude is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-anderson/the-lead-singer-for-deerhunter-bradford-cox-i-don-t-like-saying/) [Blake Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-anderson/) > [I think of myself as experimenting with different ways of structuring pieces. A lot of it has to do with the computer, of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lansky/i-think-of-myself-as-experimenting-with-different-ways-of-structuring/) [Paul Lansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lansky/) > [If you see me playing a $1/$2 no-limit on PokerStars, I'm probably experimenting with something, trying something new seeing how it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-moneymaker/if-you-see-me-playing-a-1-2-no-limit-on-pokerstars-i-m-probably/) [Chris Moneymaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-moneymaker/) > [In today's day and age, one looks forward to experimenting and it pays off at times and at times it doesn't. This does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-tiwari/in-today-s-day-and-age-one-looks-forward-to-experimenting-and-it-pays/) [Ankit Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankit-tiwari/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) ## More by Thomas A. Edison > [We are striking it big in the electric light, better than my vivid imagination first conceived. Where this thing is going to stop Lord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/we-are-striking-it-big-in-the-electric-light-better-than-my-vivid/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered there are 1000 ways that can cause failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-will-not-say-i-failed-1000-times-i-will-say-that-i-discovered-there/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Friendship is the heaven of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/friendship-is-the-heaven-of-life/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Even though I am nearly deaf, I seem to be gifted with a kind of inner hearing which enables me to detect sounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/even-though-i-am-nearly-deaf-i-seem-to-be-gifted-with-a-kind-of-inner/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/being-busy-does-not-always-mean-real-work-the-object-of-all-work-is/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [The very first thing an executive must have is a fine memory. Of course it does not follow that a man with a fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-very-first-thing-an-executive-must-have-is-a-fine-memory-of/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Personally, I enjoy working about 18 hours a day. Besides the short catnaps I take each day, I average about four to five hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/personally-i-enjoy-working-about-18-hours-a-day-besides-the-short/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [The brain can be developed just the same as the muscles can be developed, if on will only take the pains to train the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-brain-can-be-developed-just-the-same-as-the-muscles-can-be/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [“People who will not turn a shovel full of dirt on the project nor contribute a pound of material, will collect more money from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/people-who-will-not-turn-a-shovel-full-of-dirt-on-the-project-nor/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/when-i-have-fully-decided-that-a-result-is-worth-getting-i-go-ahead/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I remember that I was never able to get along at school. I was at the foot of the class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-remember-that-i-was-never-able-to-get-along-at-school-i-was-at-the/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/invention-is-10-inspiration-and-90-perspiration/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [There seems to be no limit to which some men will go to avoid the labor of thinking. Thinking is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/there-seems-to-be-no-limit-to-which-some-men-will-go-to-avoid-the/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Somewhere between the ages of eleven and fifteen, the average child begins to suffer from an atrophy, the paralysis of curiosity and the suspension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/somewhere-between-the-ages-of-eleven-and-fifteen-the-average-child/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Not only will atomic power be released, but someday we will harness the rise and fall of the tides and imprison the rays of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/not-only-will-atomic-power-be-released-but-someday-we-will-harness/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) [Explore all 345 Thomas A. Edison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) ## More Discovery quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Throughout my work, I have assumed that the standard model is correct, and hence, the Higgs boson should be found. Although this is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoke-sen/throughout-my-work-i-have-assumed-that-the-standard-model-is-correct/) [Ashoke Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoke-sen/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. 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Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. 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