Quote of the day: Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor and scientist, known for his work on the alternating current (AC) supply system, believed that time deserves each person according to his work and success.
Quote of the day from Nikola Tesla
“Let the future tell the truth; and judge each by his labors and achievements. The present is theirs; the future for which I have truly labored is mine.”
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What does Nikola Tesla’s quote mean?
Originally told to Dragislav L. Petković, who wrote his story “Nikola Tesla’s Visit” for the newspaper Politika in April 1927, this quote was and was later quoted by author Margaret Cheney in her books Tesla, Master of Lightning (1999) and Tesla: The Man Out of Time (2001).
In the quote, Tesla notes that throughout history, ideas or inventions that were ahead of their time were “ridiculed, condemned, resisted, or suppressed” only to emerge “more victorious in the struggle.” One clear example of this is Galileo’s discovery of the Earth orbiting the Sun (rather than the previous assumption that it was the other way around) and the Solar System.
He notes that if one works diligently, the future will undoubtedly reveal the truth of one’s achievements. He goes on to state that those celebrated in the present can have their moment because “the future is mine” – a time when his work is understood and accepted.
It is of great benefit to you and me to persevere in our 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.
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‘War of currents’: What is the context of Nikola Tesla’s quote?
Notably, Tesla and his contemporary Thomas Edison were engaged in a battle in the late 1880s that is now called the “War of Currents” according to the United States Department of Energy.
While Edison was an advocate of direct current, which runs in a single direction continuously, Tesla believed that alternating current, which reverses direction a certain number of times per second using a transformer, was the solution to the voltage limitations faced by DC.
However, with royalties attached to the use of his DC method, Edison began an active campaign to discredit AC as “more dangerous,” the department noted. So Tesla’s words are not empty. He lived to see the council.
Notably, most electricity today is powered by alternating current from Tesla, with some use for direct current as well (LEDs, solar cells, electric vehicles and computers).
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Who is Nikola Tesla?
Serbian-American engineer Nikola Tesla was born in the former Austrian Empire on July 10, 1856 and died on January 7, 1943 in America, where he immigrated (in 1884) and became a naturalized citizen. The inventor is largely known for his contributions to the design of the modern AC power system.
His legacy is so influential that billionaire Elon Musk’s electric car company Tesla was named after the famous inventor and futurist.
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 alternating current induction motor and related polyphase alternating current patents, licensed by Westinghouse Electric in 1888, made him considerable money and became the cornerstone of the polyphase system.
He received various awards during his lifetime, including the Order of Saint Sava (1892), the Elliott Cresson Medal (1894), the Order of Prince Danilo I (1895), the AIEE Edison Medal (1916), the Order of the Yugoslav Crown (1931), the John Scott Medal (1934), the Order of the White Eagle (193197), the Order of the White Eagle (193197), Order of the White Eagle (19).