# American Invention **Domain:** Invention / Enterprise / Building **Series:** [[american/American Ethos - Simple Reminders on Real American Pride|Simple Reminders on Real American Pride]] ## Definition American invention is thought made consequential through enterprise. The tradition joins IBM's disciplined institutional intelligence to the builder's willingness to attempt what established opinion calls impossible; curiosity supplies direction, while implementation supplies proof. Markets matter here because useful novelty must leave the workshop and enter ordinary life. Failure becomes informative only when responsibility remains intact and the next attempt becomes more capable. The future is not predicted from a balcony; it is assembled at the bench. ## Place in the American System This node belongs to [[collections/American|the American Collection]] and interprets [[american/American Ethos - Langley, Armonk, and the Corridor|Langley, Armonk, and the Corridor]] and [[american/American Ethos - Operational Literacy|Operational Literacy]]. Its quotations remain sourced and editorially explained in [[american/American Ethos - Simple Reminders on Real American Pride|Simple Reminders on Real American Pride]]; their permanent poster objects appear below. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Knowledge is the result of thought, and thought is the keynote of success in this business or any business.” > **— Thomas J. Watson Sr.**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Thought as the Keynote of Success by Thomas J. Watson Sr.|Thought as the Keynote of Success by Thomas J. Watson Sr.]] > “Thought has been the father of every advance since time began. ‘I didn’t think’ has cost the world millions of dollars.” > **— Thomas J. Watson Sr.**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Thought as the Father of Advance by Thomas J. Watson Sr.|Thought as the Father of Advance by Thomas J. Watson Sr.]] > “Those who set out to do what others say cannot be done are the ones who make the discoveries, produce the inventions and move the world ahead.” > **— Thomas J. Watson Jr.**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Doing What Others Call Impossible by Thomas J. Watson Jr.|Doing What Others Call Impossible by Thomas J. Watson Jr.]] > “We believe an organization will stand out only if it is willing to take on seemingly impossible tasks.” > **— Thomas J. Watson Jr.**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/The Organization and the Impossible Task by Thomas J. Watson Jr.|The Organization and the Impossible Task by Thomas J. Watson Jr.]] > “Invention is the root of our success.” > **— Jeff Bezos**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Invention as the Root of Success by Jeff Bezos|Invention as the Root of Success by Jeff Bezos]] > “Keep inventing, and don’t despair when at first the idea looks crazy. Remember to wander. Let curiosity be your compass.” > **— Jeff Bezos**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Curiosity as the Compass by Jeff Bezos|Curiosity as the Compass by Jeff Bezos]] > “A remarkable customer experience starts with heart, intuition, curiosity, play, guts, taste. You won’t find any of it in a survey.” > **— Jeff Bezos**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/What a Survey Cannot Supply by Jeff Bezos|What a Survey Cannot Supply by Jeff Bezos]] > “Good inventors and designers deeply understand their customer.” > **— Jeff Bezos**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Understanding the Customer by Jeff Bezos|Understanding the Customer by Jeff Bezos]] > “If the size of your failures isn’t growing, you’re not going to be inventing at a size that can actually move the needle.” > **— Jeff Bezos**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Failures Large Enough to Matter by Jeff Bezos|Failures Large Enough to Matter by Jeff Bezos]] > “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” > **— Steve Jobs**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* [[reminders/Innovation/Loving the Work by Steve Jobs|Loving the Work by Steve Jobs]] <!-- BEGIN AMERICAN SYSTEM CONNECTIONS --> ## American System Connections [[wiki/Dynamism Migration|Dynamism Migration]] and [[wiki/Geographic Buildout|Geographic Buildout]] locate invention inside the changing geography of firms, laboratories, factories, energy, and compute. [[wiki/National Capability Culture|National Capability Culture]] measures invention by the usable options it gives the country. <!-- END AMERICAN SYSTEM CONNECTIONS -->