WIST Quotations

Deming, W. Edwards -- Out of the Crisis, ch. 3 (1982)

Dave — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 16:30:38 +0000

The supposition is prevalent the world over that there would be no problems in production or service if only our production workers would do their jobs in the way that they were taught. Pleasant dreams. The workers are handicapped by the system, and the system belongs to the management.

W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993) American management consultant, educator
Out of the Crisis, ch. 3 (1982)
(Source)

Bowen, Elizabeth -- Encounters, Preface to the 1951 Edition (1923)

Dave — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 17:23:41 +0000

The importance to the writer of first writing must be out of all proportion of the actual value of what is written.

Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) Irish author
Encounters, Preface to the 1951 Edition (1923)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Essay (1860), “Wealth,” The Conduct of Life, ch. 3

Dave — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 16:51:00 +0000

Every man is a consumer, and ought to be a producer. He fails to make his place good in the world, unless he not only pays his debt, but also adds something to the common wealth.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1860), “Wealth,” The Conduct of Life, ch. 3
(Source)

Based on a course of lectures, "The Conduct of Life," delivered in Pittsburg (1851-03).

McGinley, Phyllis -- “Party Line,” Ladies’ Home Journal (1962)

Dave — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 17:12:09 +0000

A successful party is a creative act, and creation is always painful.

Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978) American author, poet
“Party Line,” Ladies’ Home Journal (1962)
(Source)

Later reprinted in Sixpence in Her Shoe (1964).

Serling, Rod -- “Writing for Television – Conversations with Rod Serling,” Ithaca College (1972)

Dave — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 22:38:06 +0000

Coming up with ideas is the easiest thing on earth. Putting them down is the hardest.

Rod Serling (1924-1975) American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, narrator
“Writing for Television – Conversations with Rod Serling,” Ithaca College (1972)
(Source)

Roosevelt, Theodore -- Fifth Message to Congress (5 Dec 1905)

Dave — Wed, 11 May 2016 13:43:28 +0000

In our industrial and social system the interests of all men are so closely intertwined that in the immense majority of cases a straight-dealing man who by his efficiency, by his ingenuity and industry, benefits himself must also benefit others. Normally the man of great productive capacity who becomes rich by guiding the labor of other men does so by enabling them to produce more than they could produce without his guidance; and both he and they share in the benefit, which comes also to the public at large. The superficial fact that the sharing may be unequal must never blind us to the underlying fact that there is this sharing, and that the benefit comes in some degree to each man involved.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
Fifth Message to Congress (5 Dec 1905)

Mill, John Stuart -- “The Consumer Theory of Prosperity” (1830)

Dave — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 13:49:28 +0000

What a country wants to make it richer is never consumption, but production. Where there is the latter, we may be sure that there is no want of the former. To produce, implies that the producer desires to consume; why else should he give himself useless labor? He may not wish to consume what he himself produces, but his motive for producing and selling is the desire to buy. Therefore, if the producers generally produce and sell more and more, they certainly also buy more and more.

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher and economist
“The Consumer Theory of Prosperity” (1830)

Carnegie, Andrew -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 14:08:41 +0000

Capitalism is about turning luxuries into necessities.

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) American industrialist and philanthropist
(Attributed)

Feynman, Richard -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:14:18 +0000

Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not the reason we are doing it.

Richard Feynman (1918-1988) American physicist
(Attributed)

Many variations can be found for this quotation (none of them with citation); the word "Science" and "Physics" are often interchanged:

"Science is like sex, it has its practical purposes, but that's not why we do it."
"Science is like sex. Sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not why we are doing it."
Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it."

As noted here, Frank Oppenheimer (a colleague of Feynman's) was quoted saying, "There's a lot of practical fruits to understanding, but it's like sex. There are practical fruits to sex, but nobody would say that's why you do it, normally." Feynman and Oppenheimer may well have collaborated on the general phrasing, or taken it from one another.