Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Charles F. Kettering (American Inventor)

Charles Franklin Kettering (1876–1958) was an American automobile engineer. He was one of the leading inventors of his time.

Born in an Ohio farmhouse, Kettering founded Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO,) which was sold to the General Motors Corporation (GM) in 1916. He became the head of research and later the vice president of GM.

During a long career as an inventor, Kettering was responsible for the development of the synchromesh gearbox, automatic transmission, power steering, electric self-starter, four-wheel brakes, and quick-drying paint for automobiles, among other devices. He also discovered the use of tetraethyl lead for an antiknock agent in petrol fuel.

Together with Alfred Sloan, Kettering founded the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research (1945.) He also established the Flint Institute of Technology (1919) and General Motors Institute (1926,) now named Kettering University.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Charles F. Kettering

One fails forward toward success.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Failure, One liners

You can be sincere and still be stupid.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Ignorance

You will never stub your toe standing still. The faster you go, the more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have of getting somewhere.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Action, Failure, Chance

You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.
—Charles F. Kettering

It’s amazing what ordinary people can do if they set out without preconceived notions.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Achieving, Prejudice

Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Trying, Challenges, Endurance, Success & Failure, Resolve, Perseverance, Action

The only difference between a problem and a solution is that people understand the solution.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Problem-solving, Problems

Thinking is one thing no one has ever been able to tax.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Thinking, Thoughts, Thought

I could do nothing without problems, they toughen me my mind. In fact I tell my assistants not to bring me their successes for they weaken me; but rather to bring me their problems, for they strengthen me.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Strength, Mind

The price of progress is trouble.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Progress

The opportunities of man are limited only by his imagination. But so few have imagination that there are ten thousand fiddlers to one composer.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Imagination

The faster you go, the more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have of getting somewhere.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Risk, Perspective

Don’t be afraid to stumble. Any inventor will tell you that you don’t follow a plan far before you strike a snag. If, out of 100 ideas you get one that works, it’s enough.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Ideas

There has never been any 30-hour week for men who had anything to do.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Work

If you want to kill any idea in the world today, get a committee working on it.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Ideas

There will always be a frontier where there is an open mind and a willing hand.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Opportunity, Life, Mind

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding: you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Understanding

A man must have a certain amount of intelligent ignorance to get anywhere.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Common Sense, Men

A problem well stated is a problem half solved.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Identifying Problems, Problems

In America we can say what we think, and even if we can’t think, we can say it anyhow.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Thinking, Thought, Thoughts

Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Failure, Believe, Fail, Act, Belief

Virtually nothing comes out right the first time. Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. The only time you don’t want to fail is the last time you try something … One fails forward toward success.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Success & Failure, Achievement, Mistakes, Failures

If a fellow wants to be a nobody in the business world, let him neglect sending the mail man to somebody on his behalf.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Business, Advertising

Whenever you look at a piece of work and you think the fellow was crazy, then you want to pay some attention to that. One of you is likely to be, and you had better find out which one it is. It makes an awful lot of difference.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Mind

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Change, Ideals

The Wright brothers flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Possibilities, Determination, Optimism, Positive Attitudes, Health

Problems are the price of progress. Don’t bring me anything but trouble. Good news weakens me.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Adversity, Problems, Difficulties, Challenges

People are very open-minded about new things—as long as they’re exactly like the old ones.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: Change, Tolerance, Open-mindedness

If I have had any success, it’s due to luck, but I notice the harder I work, the luckier I get.
—Charles F. Kettering

My interest is in the future because I’m going to spend the rest of my life there.
—Charles F. Kettering
Topics: The Future, Vision, Future, Tomorrow

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