24 Henry Petroski Quotes for You to Enjoy

Henry Petroski

American Author

Born: Feb 6, 1942

Change Design Engineer Engineering Every Failure

Related authors: F. Scott Fitzgerald Frederick Douglass Helen Keller Henry David Thoreau Joyce Meyer Mark Twain Og Mandino Zig Ziglar

Failure is central to engineering. Every single calculation that an engineer makes is a failure calculation. Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail. Henry Petroski

Failure Engineer Single Understanding Engineering Every About Fail Calculation Makes How Break Central Successful Things

As engineers, we were going to be in a position to change the world - not just study it. Henry Petroski

Change World Change The World Study Were Going Just Engineers Position

Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail. Henry Petroski

Understanding Engineering About Fail How Break Successful Things

Successful design is not the achievement of perfection but the minimization and accommodation of imperfection. Henry Petroski

Achievement Design Imperfection Perfection Accommodation Successful

We call the fates of the Titanic and the Concordia - as well as those of the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia - 'accidents.' Foreseeing such undesirable events is what engineers are expected to do. However, design trade-offs leave technological systems open to failings once predicted, but later forgotten. Henry Petroski

Events Space Accidents Design Later Once Those Systems Open Columbia Failings Well Call Leave However Undesirable Expected Forgotten Predicted Titanic Engineers Challenger Technological Fates

My first book, 'To Engineer Is Human,' was prompted by nonengineer friends asking me why so many technological accidents and failures were occurring. If engineers knew what they were doing, why did bridges and buildings fall down? It was a question that I had often asked myself, and I had no easy answer. Henry Petroski

Myself Me Book Engineer First Accidents Fall Down Easy Prompted Had Knew Failures Answer Buildings Doing Were Question Friends Did Often Human Asked Asking Engineers Many Bridges Why Technological

Typically, highway bridges have about 50 years. But over in England, they have iron bridges approaching 250 years. In France, there are Roman aqueducts that are approaching 2,000 years old. So a bridge can last a very long time if it's built properly in the first place and then maintained properly. Henry Petroski

Time Old Approaching Long Long Time First France About Properly Maintained Highway Over First Place Built Years Very Very Long Time Iron Roman Place Then England Bridge Bridges Last

Although engineers want always to make everything better, they cannot make anything perfect. This basic characteristic flaw of the products of the profession's practitioners is what drives change and makes achievement a process rather than simply a goal. Henry Petroski

Achievement Change Better Everything Characteristic Rather Perfect Drives Simply Make Although Makes Always Goal Than Want Anything Cannot Process Flaw Engineers Products Profession Basic

Failures are much more dramatic than successes, and people like drama. I think this is why automobile races draw such crowds. People expect spectacular crashes, which we tend to find more interesting than cars just racing around the track. The same is true of bridges, buildings, or any structure or machine. Henry Petroski

People Car Think Drama Dramatic Machine Draw Find Structure More Crowds Tend True Failures Like Track Around Buildings Expect Than Same Any Just Automobile Crashes Which Interesting Races Much Racing Successes Bridges Why Spectacular

Case studies of failure should be made a part of the vocabulary of every engineer so that he or she can recall or recite them when something in a new design or design process is suggestive of what went wrong in the case study. Henry Petroski

Companies selling a product play down its vulnerability and emphasize its robustness. But only after technology leaves the dock is it really tested. For human operators in control of a supposedly infallible system, complacency and overconfidence can take over, and caution may be thrown to the wind. Henry Petroski

Technology Wind Control Down Complacency System Only Take Thrown Emphasize Over Dock Supposedly Vulnerability Leaves Tested Caution Infallible Selling May Human After Really Product Companies Play

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by things large and small. I wanted to know what made my watch tick, my radio play, and my house stand. I wanted to know who invented the bottle cap and who designed the bridge. I guess from early on I wanted to be an engineer. Henry Petroski

Remember Engineer Made Long Guess Invented Small Bottle Tick Know House Been Wanted Cap Stand Who Radio Fascinated Large Bridge Play Things Designed Watch Early

The paradox is that when we model future designs on past successes, we are inviting failure down the line; when we take into account past failures and anticipate potential new ways in which failure can occur, we are more likely to produce successful designs. Henry Petroski

Future Failure Past Down Ways Paradox More Potential Take Failures New Inviting Likely Occur Line Anticipate Account Model New Ways Which Produce Successes Successful Designs

I relax by looking at things and reading about things. Even the simplest thing can reveal a great deal about the world around us. It relaxes me greatly to sit back with my feet up and look around my study at the everyday things that surround me. Henry Petroski

Great Me World Great Deal Relax Looking Reading Sit Everyday Back About Simplest Study Feet Look Around Deal Reveal Surround Up Greatly Us Even Thing Things

Read and write with a sensitive ear. The craft of writing is very important. Practice the craft. Henry Petroski

Writing Important Practice Write Read Very Craft Sensitive Ear

The definition of 'safe' is not strictly an engineering term; it's a societal term. Does it mean absolutely no loss of life? Does it mean absolutely no contamination with radiation? What exactly does 'safe' mean? Henry Petroski

Life Engineering Strictly Definition Exactly Absolutely Term Contamination Safe Does Loss Mean Radiation Societal

Luxury, not necessity, is the mother of invention. Every artifact is somewhat wanting in its function, and that is what drives its evolution. Henry Petroski

Mother Luxury Invention Every Evolution Somewhat Drives Wanting Function Necessity

Because every design must satisfy competing objectives, there necessarily has to be compromise among, if not the complete exclusion of, some of those objectives, in order to meet what are considered the more important of them. Henry Petroski

Because they are so humbled by their creations, engineers are naturally conservative in their expectations of technology. They know that the perfect system is the stuff of science fiction, not of engineering fact, and so everything must be treated with respect. Henry Petroski

Too much redesign has to do more with fad and fashion than with fitness and function. It is change for the sake of change. Such redesign is not only unnecessary, it is all too often also retrogressive, leading to things that work less effectively than those they were designed to replace. Henry Petroski

Work Fitness Fashion Change Too Much Too Those Unnecessary More Only Fad Leading Also Redesign Sake Were Effectively Replace Than Often Much Less Function Things Designed

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