# The Analytical Engine Performs Only What We Order by Ada Lovelace > "The Analytical Engine has no pretensions whatever to originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform." > **— Ada Lovelace**, *1843, Note G, Sketch of the Analytical Engine* ## Sources and Context - **Direct or authoritative source:** [Note G, Sketch of the Analytical Engine](https://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/sketch.html) — the linked page contains the quoted wording and supports the recorded attribution and occasion. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/Modern Artificial Intelligence in the 1970s|Modern Artificial Intelligence in the 1970s]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Ada Lovelace|Ada Lovelace]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "The Analytical Engine has no pretensions whatever to originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform." — Ada Lovelace, 1843, Note G, Sketch of the Analytical Engine https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-ada-lovelace-analytical-engine-performs-order ```