My motto is very personal and may not fit anyone else or any other company. It is: Don't do anything that someone else can do. Don't undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible. Edwin Land More Quotes by Edwin Land More Quotes From Edwin Land It's not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas. Edwin Land entrepreneur business ideas An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land failure courage inspiring A mistake is an event, the full benefit of which has not yet been turned to your advantage. Edwin Land benefits events mistake Someone is going to make your product obsolete. Make sure it's you. Edwin Land obsolete products Don't undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible. Edwin Land construction-projects important impossible Marketing is what you do when your product is no good. Edwin Land advertising marketing products The process must be concealed from - non-existent for - the photographer, who by definition need think of the art in the taking and not in the making photographs... In short, all that should be necessary to get a good picture is to take a good picture. Edwin Land art needs thinking You must expect failure after failure after failure before you succeed. Edwin Land succeed failure Over the years, I have learned that every significant invention has several characteristics. By definition it must be startling, unexpected, and must come into a world that is not prepared for it. If the world were prepared for it, it would not be much of an invention. Edwin Land definitions world years [The Polaroid camera is] a system that will be a partner in perception, enabling us to see the objects in the world around us more vividly than we can see them without it, a system to be an aid to memory and a tool for exploration. Edwin Land cameras perception memories We live in a world changing so rapidly that what we mean frequently by common sense is doing the thing that would have been right last year. Edwin Land common-sense mean years Any problem can be solved as long as it is stated properly. Edwin Land problem long You always start with a fantasy. Part of the fantasy technique is to visualize something as perfect. Then with the experiments you work back from the fantasy to reality, hacking away at the components. Edwin Land technique perfect reality We can be dramatic, even theatrical; we can be persuasive; but the message we are telling must be true. Edwin Land persuasive dramatic messages ...from this day forward until the day you are buried, do two things each day. First, master a difficult old insight, and second, add some new piece of knowledge to the world each day. Edwin Land add two thinking Science is a method to keep yourself from kidding yourself. Edwin Land kidding-yourself method science Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess. Edwin Land anything-worth-doing excess hard-work Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity. Edwin Land creativity stupidity creative Politeness is the poison of collaboration. Edwin Land collaboration decision teamwork There's a rule they don't teach you at the Harvard Business School. It is, if anything is worth doing, it's worth doing to excess. Edwin Land excess harvard school
