An oil painting of Nikola Tesla

150 Best Quotes by Nikola Tesla: Wisdom from the Master of Electricity

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was not merely an inventor; he was a visionary whose genius illuminated the path to our modern electrical age. Born in the Austrian Empire (modern-day Croatia), Tesla's revolutionary contributions to science and technology include the alternating current (AC) electrical system, the Tesla coil, wireless technology, and countless other innovations that shaped the 20th century and beyond.

Beyond his scientific achievements, Tesla was a profound thinker whose observations on life, humanity, and the universe continue to inspire generations. His quotes reveal a mind that saw beyond the material world, understanding the deep connections between energy, consciousness, and human potential. This collection of 150 of his most powerful quotes offers insights into the brilliant mind that helped create our modern world.

On Knowledge and Learning
On Science and Invention
On Humanity and Society
On the Universe and Nature
On Progress and the Future
On Personal Philosophy
On Work and Achievement
On Wisdom and Truth

1. On Knowledge and Learning

Tesla's passion for knowledge was evident from his earliest years. His quotes on learning and intellectual pursuit reveal a mind constantly seeking understanding.

"Of all things, I liked books best." - Nikola Tesla

"The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence." - Nikola Tesla

"The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane." - Nikola Tesla

"One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane." - Nikola Tesla

"Instinct is something which transcends knowledge." - Nikola Tesla

"But instinct is something which transcends knowledge. We have, undoubtedly, certain finer fibers that enable us to perceive truths when logical deduction, or any other willful effort of the brain, is futile." - Nikola Tesla

"It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations." - Nikola Tesla

"To know each other we must reach beyond the sphere of our sense perceptions." - Nikola Tesla

"If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you would have a key to the universe." - Nikola Tesla

"The gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power." - Nikola Tesla

"My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration." - Nikola Tesla

"Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born." - Nikola Tesla

"The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude." - Nikola Tesla

"Most persons are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly oblivious to what is passing on within themselves." - Nikola Tesla

"Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance." - Nikola Tesla

"We all make mistakes, and it is better to make them before we begin." - Nikola Tesla

"I have always been ahead of my time." - Nikola Tesla

"The individual is ephemeral, races and nations come and pass away, but man remains." - Nikola Tesla

2. On Science and Invention

Tesla's revolutionary approach to science and invention transformed our world. His quotes reveal the philosophy behind his groundbreaking work.

"The progressive development of man is vitally dependent on invention. It is the most important product of his creative brain." - Nikola Tesla

"Invention is the most important product of man's creative brain. The ultimate purpose is the complete mastery of mind over the material world, the harnessing of human nature to human needs." - Nikola Tesla

"The progressive development of man is vitally dependent on invention." - Nikola Tesla

"I do not think you can name many great inventions that have been made by married men." - Nikola Tesla

"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration." - Nikola Tesla

"Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality." - Nikola Tesla

"The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter—for the future. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way." - Nikola Tesla

"If he Thomas Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to be, but would proceed at once with the feverish diligence of a bee, to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. … Just a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety percent of his labor." - Nikola Tesla

"The recurrence of a phenomenon like Thomas Edison is not very likely. The profound change of conditions and the ever increasing necessity of theoretical training would seem to make it impossible. He will occupy a unique and exalted position in the history of his native land, which might well be proud of his great genius and undying achievements in the interest of humanity." - Nikola Tesla

"Marconi is a good fellow. Let him continue. He is using 17 of my patents." - Nikola Tesla

"The idea of atomic energy is illusionary but it has taken so powerful a hold on the minds, that although I have preached against it for twenty-five years, there are still some who believe it to be realizable." - Nikola Tesla

"But I hope that it will also be demonstrated soon that in my experiments in the West I was not merely beholding a vision, but had caught sight of a great and profound truth." - Nikola Tesla

"Soon became convinced I was right and undertook the task with all the fire and boundless confidence of youth." - Nikola Tesla

"I am credited with being one of the hardest workers and perhaps I am, if thought is the equivalent of labour, for I have devoted to it almost all of my waking hours." - Nikola Tesla

"Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world." - Nikola Tesla

"What one man calls God, another calls the laws of physics." - Nikola Tesla

"Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity." - Nikola Tesla

"The spread of civilization may be likened to a fire; first, a feeble spark, next a flickering flame, then a mighty blaze, ever increasing in speed and power." - Nikola Tesla

3. On Humanity and Society

Tesla's observations on human nature and society reveal his deep concern for humanity's future and his understanding of human interconnectedness.

"Though free to think and act, we are held together, like the stars in the firmament, with ties inseparable. These ties cannot be seen, but we can feel them." - Nikola Tesla

"We are all one. Only egos, beliefs, and fears separate us." - Nikola Tesla

"All of these years of my service towards mankind did not bring me nothing but assaults and humiliations." - Nikola Tesla

"I am filled with conviction that the interests of humanity would be best served if the United States remained true to its traditions and kept out of 'entangling alliances.'" - Nikola Tesla

"You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension." - Nikola Tesla

"Years hence it will be possible for nations to fight without armies, ships or guns, by weapons far more terrible, to the destructive action and range of which there is virtually no limit. A city, at any distance whatsoever from the enemy, can be destroyed by him and no power on earth can stop him from doing so." - Nikola Tesla

"If we want to avert an impending calamity and a state of things which may transform this globe into an inferno, we should push the development of flying machines and wireless transmission of energy without an instant's delay and with all the power and resources of the nation." - Nikola Tesla

"Now the soft-voiced gentle woman of my reverent worship has all but vanished." - Nikola Tesla

"Now the soft-voiced gentle woman of my reverent worship has all but vanished, in her place has come the woman who thinks that her chief success in life lies in making herself as much as possible like man—in dress, voice and actions, in sports and achievements of every kind." - Nikola Tesla

"It is not in the shallow physical imitation of men that women will assert first their equality and later their superiority, but in the awakening of the intellect of women." - Nikola Tesla

"Women will ignore precedent and startle civilization with their progress." - Nikola Tesla

"I'm glad," Tesla quipped, "that I am living in a place in which, though they can roast me in the papers, they cannot burn me at the stake." - Nikola Tesla

"All that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed — only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle." - Nikola Tesla

"Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment." - Nikola Tesla

"What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth." - Nikola Tesla

"Money does not represent such a value as men have placed upon it. All my money has been invested into experiments with which I have made new discoveries enabling mankind to have a little easier life." - Nikola Tesla

"The newspapers of the twenty-first century will give a mere 'stick' in the back pages to accounts of crime or political controversies, but will headline on the front pages the proclamation of a new scientific hypothesis." - Nikola Tesla

"In the twenty-first century, the robot will take the place which slave labor occupied in ancient civilization." - Nikola Tesla

4. On the Universe and Nature

Tesla's understanding of the universe went beyond conventional science, seeing deep patterns and connections in all of existence.

"Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe." - Nikola Tesla

"When a child is born its sense-organs are brought in contact with the outer world. The waves of sound, heat and light beat upon its feeble body, its sensitive nerve-fibres quiver, the muscles contract and relax in obedience: a gasp, a breath, and in this act a marvelous little engine, of inconceivable delicacy and complexity of construction, unlike any on earth, is hitched to the wheel-work of the Universe." - Nikola Tesla

"I am part of a light, and it is the music. The Light fills my six senses: I see it, hear, feel, smell, touch and think. Thinking of it means my sixth sense. Particles of Light are written note. O bolt of lightning can be an entire sonata. A thousand balls of lightening is a concert.. For this concert I have created a Ball Lightning, which can be heard on the icy peaks of the Himalayas." - Nikola Tesla

"Our bodies are of such complexity of structure, the motions we perform are so numerous and involved, and the external impressions on our sense organs to such a degree delicate and elusive that it is hard for the average person to grasp this fact." - Nikola Tesla

"We are automata entirely controlled by the forces of the medium being tossed about like corks on the surface of the water, but mistaking the resultant of the impulses from the outside for free will." - Nikola Tesla

"Life is and will ever remain an equation incapable of solution, but it contains certain known factors." - Nikola Tesla

"Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more." - Nikola Tesla

"Nature may reach the same result in many ways." - Nikola Tesla

"In a crystal we have the clear evidence of the existence of a formative life principle, and though we cannot understand the life of a crystal, it is nonetheless a living being." - Nikola Tesla

"The earth is bountiful, and where her bounty fails, nitrogen drawn from the air will refertilize her womb." - Nikola Tesla

"Though apparently affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance." - Nikola Tesla

"All matter comes from a primary substance, the luminiferous ether." - Nikola Tesla

"So astounding are the facts in this connection, that it would seem as though the Creator, himself had electrically designed this planet." - Nikola Tesla

"Thunderstorms are spectacular phenomena; but for all their sound and fury, they represent but a tiny fraction of the earth's available electric power." - Nikola Tesla

"The universe is simply a great machine which never came into being and never will end." - Nikola Tesla

"We are whirling through endless space with an inconceivable speed, all around us everything is spinning, everything is moving, everywhere is energy." - Nikola Tesla

"Alpha waves in the human brain are between 6 and 8 hertz. The wave frequency of the human cavity resonates between 6 and 8 hertz. All biological systems operate in the same frequency range." - Nikola Tesla

"If you want to understand the secrets of the universe, think of energy, frequency, and vibration." - Nikola Tesla

5. On Progress and the Future

Tesla's vision of the future was both inspiring and prescient, foreseeing many developments that would come to pass.

"The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla

"Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla

"We crave for new sensations but soon become indifferent to them. The wonders of yesterday are today common occurrences." - Nikola Tesla

"The last 29 days of the month are the toughest!" - Nikola Tesla

"Kada sam prihvatao neki zadatak, nisam to radio sa rešenošću koja je svojstvena običnim ljudima. Za mene je to bio stari zavet, pitanje života i smrti." - Nikola Tesla

"The desire that guides me in all I do is the desire to harness the forces of nature to the service of mankind." - Nikola Tesla

"I don't care that they stole my idea... I care that they don't have any of their own." - Nikola Tesla

"My project was retarded by laws of nature. The world was not prepared for it. It was too far ahead of time." - Nikola Tesla

"The future will show whether my foresight is as accurate now as it has proved heretofore." - Nikola Tesla

"When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain." - Nikola Tesla

"It will soon be possible to transmit wireless messages around the world so simply that any individual can carry and operate his own apparatus." - Nikola Tesla

"The day when we shall know exactly what electricity is will chronicle an event probably greater, more important than any other recorded in the history of the human race." - Nikola Tesla

"I have been feeding pigeons, thousands of them for years. But there was one, a beautiful bird, pure white with light grey tips on its wings; that one was different." - Nikola Tesla

"From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing in disguise." - Nikola Tesla

"Ere many generations pass, our machinery will be driven by a power obtainable at any point of the universe." - Nikola Tesla

"We shall harness the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire." - Nikola Tesla

"In the twenty-first century, the robot will take the place which slave labor occupied in ancient civilization." - Nikola Tesla

"The practical success of an idea, irrespective of its inherent merit, is dependent on the attitude of the contemporaries." - Nikola Tesla

6. On Personal Philosophy

Tesla's personal philosophy was unique, shaped by his extraordinary experiences and profound insights into the nature of reality.

"One day I was handed a few volumes of new literature unlike anything I had ever read before and so captivating as to make me utterly forget my hopeless state. They were the earlier works of Mark Twain and to them might have been due the miraculous recovery which followed. Twenty-five years later, when I met Mr. Clemens and we formed a friendship between us, I told him of the experience and was amazed to see that great man of laughter burst into tears." - Nikola Tesla

"I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success." - Nikola Tesla

"My mother understood human nature better and never chided. She knew that a man cannot be saved from his own foolishness or vice by someone else's efforts or protests, but only by the use of his own will." - Nikola Tesla

"Everyone should consider his body as a priceless gift from one whom he loves above all, a marvelous work of art, of indescribable beauty, and mystery beyond human conception." - Nikola Tesla

"I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists." - Nikola Tesla

"Most certainly, some planets are not inhabited, but others are, and among these there must exist life under all conditions and phases of development." - Nikola Tesla

"Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing." - Nikola Tesla

"It's not the love you make. It's the love you give." - Nikola Tesla

"I do not think you can name many great inventions that have been made by married men." - Nikola Tesla

"Fights between individuals, as well as governments and nations, invariably result from misunderstandings in the broadest interpretation of this term." - Nikola Tesla

"Life is and will ever remain an equation incapable of solution, but it contains certain known factors." - Nikola Tesla

"There is no subject more captivating, more worthy of study, than nature." - Nikola Tesla

"The feeling is constantly growing on me that I had been the first to hear the greeting of one planet to another." - Nikola Tesla

"My belief is firm in a law of compensation. The true rewards are ever in proportion to the labor and sacrifices made." - Nikola Tesla

"I am equally proud of my Serbian origin and my Croatian fatherland." - Nikola Tesla

"Great moments are born from great opportunities." - Nikola Tesla

"If your hate could be turned into electricity, it would light up the whole world." - Nikola Tesla

"I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own." - Nikola Tesla

7. On Work and Achievement

Tesla's dedication to his work was legendary, and his quotes on achievement reveal the intensity of his commitment.

"I am credited with being one of the hardest workers and perhaps I am, if thought is the equivalent of labour, for I have devoted to it almost all of my waking hours. But if work is interpreted to be a definite performance in a specified time according to a rigid rule, then I may be the worst of idlers." - Nikola Tesla

"With ideas it is like with dizzy heights you climb: At first they cause you discomfort and you are anxious to get down, distrustful of your own powers; but soon the remoteness of the turmoil of life and the inspiring influence of the altitude calm your blood; your step gets firm and sure and you begin to look - for dizzier heights." - Nikola Tesla

"I have been feeding pigeons, thousands of them for years. But there was one, a beautiful bird, pure white with light grey tips on its wings; that one was different. It was a female. I had only to wish and call her and she would come flying to me. I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me." - Nikola Tesla

"All my life I had marveled at the inexplicable; now I had discovered the key to the labyrinth." - Nikola Tesla

"I could only achieve success in my life through self-discipline, and I applied it until my wish and my will became one." - Nikola Tesla

"If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search." - Nikola Tesla

"The opinion of the world does not affect me. I have placed as the real values in my life what follows when I am dead." - Nikola Tesla

"A new idea must not be judged by its immediate results." - Nikola Tesla

"The progressive development of man is vitally dependent on invention." - Nikola Tesla

"Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind." - Nikola Tesla

"I have always been ahead of my time." - Nikola Tesla

"The value of achievement lies in the achieving." - Nikola Tesla

"One's salvation could only be brought about through his own efforts." - Nikola Tesla

"It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man." - Nikola Tesla

"My ear barely caught signals coming in regular succession which could not have been produced on earth." - Nikola Tesla

"There is something within me that might be illusion as it is often case with young delighted people, but if I would be fortunate to achieve some of my ideals, it would be on the behalf of the whole of humanity." - Nikola Tesla

"I am trying to awake the energy contained in the air. These are the main sources of energy. What is considered as empty space is just a manifestation of matter that is not awakened." - Nikola Tesla

"Anti-social behavior is a trait of intelligence in a world full of conformists." - Nikola Tesla

8. On Wisdom and Truth

Tesla's wisdom extended far beyond science, offering profound insights into the nature of truth and human existence.

"We build but to tear down. Most of our work and resource is squandered. Our onward march is marked by devastation. Everywhere there is an appalling loss of time, effort and life. A cheerless view, but true." - Nikola Tesla

"Of all the frictional resistances, the one that most retards human movement is ignorance, what Buddha called 'the greatest evil in the world.'" - Nikola Tesla

"Misunderstandings are always caused by the inability of appreciating one another's point of view." - Nikola Tesla

"The history of science shows that theories are perishable. With every new truth that is revealed we get a better understanding of Nature and our conceptions and views are modified." - Nikola Tesla

"What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and pride which is always prone to plunge the world into primeval barbarism and strife." - Nikola Tesla

"Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment and merging of races, and we are still far from this blissful realization." - Nikola Tesla

"Our first endeavors are purely instinctive, promptings of an imagination vivid and undisciplined." - Nikola Tesla

"Archimedes was my ideal. I admired the works of artists, but to my mind, they were only shadows and semblances. The inventor, I thought, gives to the world creations which are palpable, which live and work." - Nikola Tesla

"When natural inclination develops into a passionate desire, one advances towards his goal in seven-league boots." - Nikola Tesla

"Invention is the most important product of man's creative brain." - Nikola Tesla

"We all make mistakes, and it is better to make them before we begin." - Nikola Tesla

"The opinion of the world does not affect me. I have placed as the real values in my life what follows when I am dead." - Nikola Tesla

"All peoples everywhere should have free energy sources." - Nikola Tesla

"Electric power is everywhere present in unlimited quantities and can drive the world's machinery without the need of coal, oil, gas, or any other of the common fuels." - Nikola Tesla

"The scientists from Franklin to Morse were clear thinkers and did not produce erroneous theories. The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly." - Nikola Tesla

Conclusion

Nikola Tesla's legacy extends far beyond his revolutionary inventions. His quotes reveal a mind that understood not only the mechanics of electricity but the deeper currents that connect all life. From his passionate advocacy for peace to his mystical understanding of the universe's interconnectedness, Tesla's words continue to inspire those who seek to understand both the physical and metaphysical aspects of existence.

His vision of a world powered by free, wireless energy may not have been realized in his lifetime, but his broader vision of human progress through scientific understanding continues to guide us. Tesla reminds us that true invention comes not from mere technical skill but from a deep understanding of nature's principles combined with an unwavering dedication to humanity's betterment.

As we face the challenges of the 21st century, Tesla's words ring with prophetic clarity. His warnings about the dangers of unchecked technological development, his insights into the nature of consciousness and reality, and his unwavering belief in human potential serve as both inspiration and guidance. In Tesla's own words, "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." Indeed, as we continue to build upon his foundations, we realize that the future he envisioned is still unfolding, powered by the same spirit of innovation and human progress that drove his remarkable life.

More Nikola Tesla Quotes

150 Best Quotes by Nikola Tesla: Wisdom from the Master of Electricity

150 Best Quotes by Nikola Tesla: Wisdom from the Master of Electricity

Table of Contents

1. On Knowledge and Learning

2. On Science and Invention

3. On Humanity and Society

4. On the Universe and Nature

5. On Progress and the Future

6. On Personal Philosophy

7. On Work and Achievement

8. On Wisdom and Truth

Conclusion

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