--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From this era on, I think invention will…" description: "\"“From this era on, I think invention will be the parent of necessity – and not the other way around.’ That was easy for Sherkaner Underhill to say. He ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/vernor-vinge-4357_innovation_from-this-era-on-i-think-invention-will_44129.png" --- # From this era on, I think invention will be the parent of… ![“From this era on, I think invention will be the parent of necessity – and not the other way around.’ That was easy for Sherkaner Underhill to say. He didn’t have to engineer the science into reality.” quote by Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/vernor-vinge-4357_innovation_from-this-era-on-i-think-invention-will_44129.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/vernor-vinge-4357_innovation_from-this-era-on-i-think-invention-will_44129.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/vernor-vinge-4357_innovation_from-this-era-on-i-think-invention-will_44129.png) > ““From this era on, I think invention will be the parent of necessity – and not the other way around.’ That was easy for Sherkaner Underhill to say. He didn’t have to engineer the science into reality.”” [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Inverts the classic adage, suggesting future innovations will create new needs rather than merely responding to existing ones. **In simple terms:** Innovation drives new demands. Key Takeaway Future tech shapes society. Themes innovation future necessity technology societal change Mood optimistic provocative Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - product development planning - strategic foresight - policy making - entrepreneurial ventures Key Concepts creative impetus needs creation technological determinism Practical Applications - R&D prioritization - market analysis Questions to Reflect On - How might emerging tech redefine consumer expectations? - What responsibilities do innovators have in shaping future needs? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Didn Engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-engineer-653356/) [Engineer Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineer-science-653357/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Invention Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention-parent-653355/) [Necessity Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessity-way-509686/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Think Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-invention-653354/) ## Related quotes > [I was going to be a chemical engineer - I was a science nerd - that was the plan. I secretly applied to USC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-watts/i-was-going-to-be-a-chemical-engineer-i-was-a-science-nerd-that-was/) [Jon Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-watts/) > [When a real artist creates something, it has to be a necessity, the only way he can say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/when-a-real-artist-creates-something-it-has-to-be-a-necessity-the/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [“What has become an urgent necessity is a way of looking at the world that does violence to neither of these two kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/what-has-become-an-urgent-necessity-is-a-way-of-looking-at-the-world/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [A work of art is good if it has arisen out of necessity. That is the only way one can judge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/a-work-of-art-is-good-if-it-has-arisen-out-of-necessity-that-is-the/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [When I think of invention, I always think of America. You're always seeing ads: 'Have you got the next big idea?' There seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/when-i-think-of-invention-i-always-think-of-america-you-re-always/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) > [“The glass display cases had shown rock-throwers crafted by the Australian aborigines - like giant wooden shoehorns, they'd looked, but smoothed and carved and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-glass-display-cases-had-shown-rock-throwers-crafted-by-the/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [If it wasn't for my primary school teacher reminding me to be observant, I may not have had the inspiration to think of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhou-qunfei/if-it-wasn-t-for-my-primary-school-teacher-reminding-me-to-be/) [Zhou Qunfei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhou-qunfei/) > [What I tend to do is to wake about five in the morning-this happens quite often-think about the invention, and then image it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/what-i-tend-to-do-is-to-wake-about-five-in-the-morning-this-happens/) [James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/) > [Animals can adapt to problems and make inventions, but often no faster than natural selection can do its work - the world acts as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/animals-can-adapt-to-problems-and-make-inventions-but-often-no-faster/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [ 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/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [UKIP's success would never have happened without the invention of YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/ukip-s-success-would-never-have-happened-without-the-invention-of/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) ## More by Vernor Vinge > [I have come to kill you."The death's heads shrugged. "You have come to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/i-have-come-to-kill-you-the-death-s-heads-shrugged-you-have-come-to/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [How to explain? How to describe? Even the omniscient viewpoint quails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/how-to-explain-how-to-describe-even-the-omniscient-viewpoint-quails/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [All his life he had lived by the law. Often his job had been to stop acts of revenge…And now revenge was all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/all-his-life-he-had-lived-by-the-law-often-his-job-had-been-to-stop/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [Animals can adapt to problems and make inventions, but often no faster than natural selection can do its work - the world acts as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/animals-can-adapt-to-problems-and-make-inventions-but-often-no-faster/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/within-thirty-years-we-will-have-the-technological-means-to-create/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“Tycoon had a peddler's talent for using words to redefine reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/tycoon-had-a-peddler-s-talent-for-using-words-to-redefine-reality/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [It is a point where our old models must be discarded and a new reality rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/it-is-a-point-where-our-old-models-must-be-discarded-and-a-new/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [The heart of manipulation is to empathize without being touched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/the-heart-of-manipulation-is-to-empathize-without-being-touched/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“I’m a librarian, not a leader.” “You’re both! Librarians and archeologists have always been the ones to bring civilization back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/i-m-a-librarian-not-a-leader-you-re-both-librarians-and-archeologists/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“While We are out of Touch or How to Survive and Prosper during the Next Thirty Minutes by Your Friend, the Mysterious Stranger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/while-we-are-out-of-touch-or-how-to-survive-and-prosper-during-the/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [If there be only hours, at least learn what there is time to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/if-there-be-only-hours-at-least-learn-what-there-is-time-to-learn/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“Over the last few weeks, some newsgroups have been full of tales of war and battle fleets, of billions dying in the clash of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/over-the-last-few-weeks-some-newsgroups-have-been-full-of-tales-of/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [Hexapodia as the key insight...I haven't had a chance to see the famous video from Straumli Realm, except as an evocation. (My only gateway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/hexapodia-as-the-key-insight-i-haven-t-had-a-chance-to-see-the-famous/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“Nau had been very careful that enough nukes remained. If necessary, he could play the old, old game of total disaster management. So what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/nau-had-been-very-careful-that-enough-nukes-remained-if-necessary-he/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [I have argued above that we cannot prevent the Singularity, that its coming is an inevitable consequence of the humans natural competitiveness and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/i-have-argued-above-that-we-cannot-prevent-the-singularity-that-its/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) [Explore all 111 Vernor Vinge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) ## More Innovation quotes > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ 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/) > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“In the innovation age customer experience is key. Your impression defines their expression”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-durotoye/in-the-innovation-age-customer-experience-is-key-your-impression/) [Fela Durotoye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-durotoye/) > [“Incrementalism never allows innovation to flourish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-ratna/incrementalism-never-allows-innovation-to-flourish/) [Abhishek Ratna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-ratna/) > [I have tremendous admiration for companies with the kind of pioneering spirit and innovation eBay has demonstrated from day one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/i-have-tremendous-admiration-for-companies-with-the-kind-of/) [Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/) > [Real breakthroughs are not found because you want to develop some new technology, but because you are curious and want to find out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-zeilinger/real-breakthroughs-are-not-found-because-you-want-to-develop-some-new/) [Anton Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-zeilinger/) > [Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-outside-the-proverbial-box-we/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [We have to be innovative, we have to be fresh, we have to be new. People are counting on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-barthel/we-have-to-be-innovative-we-have-to-be-fresh-we-have-to-be-new-people/) [Sarah Barthel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-barthel/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [I'd take garbage, and I'd glue them together and create inventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-makosinski/i-d-take-garbage-and-i-d-glue-them-together-and-create-inventions/) [Ann Makosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-makosinski/) > [“Some innovations just don’t attract enough economic or social demand: just as supersonic flight and manned space flight stagnated after the 1970s, today (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-j-rees/some-innovations-just-don-t-attract-enough-economic-or-social-demand/) [Martin J. Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-j-rees/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Other things being equal, it is the person who can lift his work up to the plane of the intuitional and inspiration who achieves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanwood-cobb/other-things-being-equal-it-is-the-person-who-can-lift-his-work-up-to/) [Stanwood Cobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanwood-cobb/) > [Let art, then, imitate nature, find what she desires, and follow as she directs. For in invention nature is never last, education never first;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-art-then-imitate-nature-find-what-she-desires-and-follow-as-she/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) [Browse all 4,437 Innovation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“From this era on, I think invention will be the parent of necessity – and not the other way around.’ That was easy for Sherkaner Underhill to say. 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