Henry Petroski Quotes & Sayings (Page 3)

“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.”

“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.”

“I was always told that I was good in mathematics, and I guess my grades and standardized test scores supported that. My worst subjects were those that generally involved a lot of reading - English and history. So, having good test scores in math and mediocre ones in reading, I was naturally advised to major in engineering in college.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Engineering is achieving function while avoiding failure.”

“I'm a firm believer that no matter how small an object is, you can find interesting things out about it and its history.”

“If I could go upstairs and write every day, I would be happy. I don't need recreation.”

“It is really want, rather than need, that drives the process of technological evolution.”

“Many new technologies come with a promise to change the world, but the world refuses to cooperate.”