Capitalist Quote by William Henry Pickering
“The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships. . . it seems safe to say that such ideas are wholly visionary and even if the machine could get across with one or two passengers the expense would be prohibitive to any but the capitalist who could use his own yacht.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Early 20th‑century speculative writing
Imagining massive airships as passenger carriers is visionary but economically impractical for most.
In simple terms: Huge airships are visionary yet costly.
Key Takeaway
Consider feasibility before dreaming big.
Themes
innovation
vision
economics
transport
imagination
Mood
imaginative
skeptical
Type
Capitalist:0
Computers:0
Expenses:1
Flying:1
Flying machines:1
Ideas:1
Ifs:0
Machines:1
Mind:0
Modern:0
Passengers:1
Psychology:0
Safe:0
Seems:0
Ships:1
Speeding:0
Steam:0
Two:0
Use:0
Visionaries:0
Way:0
Would be:0
Yacht:0
Speeding Atlantic:0
Innumerable Passengers:0
Capitalist Use:0
Visionary Machine:0
When to use this quote
- transport planning
- investment analysis
- technological forecasting
Key Concepts
engineering
business models
historical speculation
Questions to Reflect On
- What would make such airships viable?
- How do visions become reality?
A Different Perspective
Economic reality limits vision.
![“The people of Sydney who can speak of my work [on flying-machine models] without a smile are very scarce; it is doubtless the same with American workers. I know that success is dead sure to come, and therefore do not waste time and words in trying to convince unbelievers.” quote by Lawrence Hargrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ee8/lawrence-hargrave-31692_american-workers_the-people-of-sydney-who-can-speak-of-my_1179795.jpg)
![“It is apparent to me that the possibilities of the aeroplane, which two or three years ago were thought to hold the solution to the [flying machine] problem, have been exhausted, and that we must turn elsewhere.” quote by Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2d5/thomas-a-edison-866_aeroplanes_it-is-apparent-to-me-that-the-possibilit_1009237.jpg)
![“One: There is a low limit of weight [of about] 50 pounds beyond which it is impossible for an animal to fly. Two: The animal machine is far more effective than any we can hope to make. Three: The weight of any machine constructed for flying, including fuel and engineer, cannot be less than three…” quote by Joseph LeConte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/296/joseph-leconte-73855_animal_one-there-is-a-low-limit-of-weight-of-ab_585346.jpg)
