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Quote of the day by Nikola Tesla: The Serbian American inventor and scientist, famed for his work on electric currents, believed that time would merit each person's work and accomplishment.
Quote of the day: Nikola Tesla, the famed inventor and scientist, known for his work on the alternating current (AC) electricity supply system, believed that time would merit each person according to their work and accomplishment.
Quote of the Day by 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 really worked, is mine.”
What does Nikola Tesla's quote mean?
Originally told to Dragislav L. Petković and written his story “A Visit to Nikola Tesla” for the Politika newspaper in April 1927), the quote has been and later cited by author Margaret Cheney in her books Tesla, Master of Lightning (1999) and Tesla: Man Out of Time (2001).
In the quote, Tesla notes that throughout history, thoughts or inventions that were ahead of their time were “ridiculed, condemned, combated or suppressed”, only to emerge “more triumphantly from the struggle”. One clear example of this is Galileo's discovery of the Earth revolving around the Sun (rather than previous belief that it was the other way around) and the solar system.
He notes that when one works diligently, the future will undoubtedly reveal the truth of their accomplishments. He further states that those celebrated in the present can have their moment, because “the future is mine” — at a time when his work is understood and accepted.
For you and me, the big takeaway is to persevere in your work in the face of opposition and sometimes even without recognition, because the truth is inevitable. It shows us how much Tesla valued hard work and innovation.
‘The War of the currents’: What is the context of Nikola Tesla's quote?
Notably, Tesla and his contemporary Thomas Edison were in the late 1880s engaged in a battle now dubbed as “The War of the Currents”, according to the United States Energy Department.
While Edison was a proponent of direct current, which runs in a single direction continuously, Tesla believed that AC, which reverses direction a certain number of times per second using a transformer, was the solution to voltage limitations faced by DC.
However, with royalties tied to the usage of his DC method, Edison began an active campaign to discredit AC as “more dangerous”, the department noted.
Notably today, majority of the electricity is powered using Tesla's AC, with some use also for DC (LEDs, solar cells, electric vehicles and computers).
Who is Nikola Tesla?
Born in the erstwhile Austrian empire on 10 July 1856, Serbian American engineer Nikola Tesla died on 7 January 1943 in America, where he immigrated (in 1884) and became a naturalised citizen. The inventor is largely known for his contributions to the design of the modern AC electricity supply system.
Tesla first studied engineering and physics in the 1870s without a degree and gained practical experience in the early 1880s working in telephony and at Continental Edison, in the then new electric power sector.
His AC induction motor and related polyphase AC patents, licensed by Westinghouse Electric in 1888, earned him a considerable amount of money and became the cornerstone of the polyphase system.
He recieved various awards during his lifetime including the Order of St. Sava (1892), Elliott Cresson Medal (1894), Order of Prince Danilo I (1895), AIEE Edison Medal (1916), Order of the Yugoslav Crown (1931), John Scott Medal (1934), Order of the White Eagle (1937), and Order of the White Lion (1937).
About the Author
Jocelyn Fernandes
Jocelyn Fernandes is a journalist and editor with nearly 13 years of experience in business, economy and markets news. <br> As chief content producer ...Read More
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