Management development providers GNP publish a monthly set of handy 'quotable quotes' for anyone to use in presentations, speeches or training sessions. Arranged into 100 'themes' including vision, change, leadership, teamwork, communication, motivation and innovation. TrainingZONE has arranged to bring you the quotes on a regular basis. This month, the theme is "predictions".
"Prediction is extremely difficult. Especially about the future."
Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (b.1922)
"Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development."
Julius Sextus Frontinus, Roman engineer (1st century AD)
"Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia."
Dionysius Lardner, British scientist (1793-1859)
This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
Western Union internal memo (1876)
"The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys."
Sir William Preece, Welsh chief engineer of the Post Office (1834-1913)
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."
Lord Kelvin, Scottish physicist (1824-1907)
"We must not be misled to our own detriment to assume that the untried machine can displace the proved and tried horse."
John H Kerr, US general (1878-1955)
"The talking picture will not supplant the regular silent motion picture."
Thomas Alva Edison, US inventor (1847-1931)
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas J Watson, US businessman, founder of IBM (1874-1956)
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science (1949)
"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home."
Ken Olsen, US executive, President of Digital Equipment (b.1926)
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
Decca Recording Company, rejecting the Beatles (1962)
Previous quotes from the archive
All quotations drawn from '1000 GREAT QUOTATIONS for Business, Management & Training' published by GNP Ltd.
