Theodore von Karman famous quotes

Scientists study the world as it is, engineers create the world that never has been.
-- Theodore von Karman

#Engineering #World #Study

I came to realize that exaggerated concern about what others are doing can be foolish. It can paralyze effort, and stifle a good idea. One finds that in the history of science, almost every problem has been worked out by someone else. This should not discourage anyone from pursuing his own path.
-- Theodore von Karman

#Ideas #Effort #Path

A scientist describes what is. An engineer creates what never was.
-- Theodore von Karman

#Scientist

This speaker reminds me of my childhood in Budapest. There were gypsy magicians who came to town to entertain us children. But as I recollect, there was one important difference: the gypsy only seemed to violate the laws of nature, he never really violated them!
-- Theodore von Karman

#Children #Science #Law

Everyone knows it takes a woman nine months to have a baby. But you Americans think if you get nine women pregnant, you can have a baby in a month.
-- Theodore von Karman

#Baby #Thinking #Nine

Science is the study of what Is, Engineering builds what Will Be. The scientist merely explores that which exists, while the engineer creates what has never existed before.
-- Theodore von Karman

#Engineering #Study #Scientist

Some fear flutter because they do not understand it. And some fear it because they do.
-- Theodore von Karman

#Aviation #Flight

I am quite pessimistic about ever achieving interstellar travel.
-- Theodore von Karman

#Future #Pessimistic #Achieve

Everybody should be ashamed who uses the wonders of science and engineering without thinking and having mentally realized not more of it than a cow realizes of the botany of the plants which it eats with pleasure.

Our engineering departments build freeways which destroy a city or a landscape, in the process.

You either get the point of Africa or you don't. What draws me back year after year is that it's like seeing the world with the lid off.

Aggressive Christianity is the world's greatest need.

As I make my slow pilgrimage through the world, a certain sense of beautiful mystery seems to gather and grow.

Like most of those who study history, he (Napoleon III) learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones.

I'm always studying my craft because I want to be the best at what I do.

We study history in order to intervene in the course of history.

I study what I work with. I studied all these different fields of science that I needed for my work. I studied how to mine a landfill and what to plant in it. It's fascinating because you learn a new field each time.

Never regard study as a duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn