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Who are they to say it can't be done?

Doesn't it just burn you up when you haveexperiment. The literature was full of
just shared your 'great idea' with someoneexamples that said you can't do this." -
and not only are they not as enthusiastic asSpencer Silver on the work that led to the
you, they even go as far as to say your ideaunique adhesives or 3-M "Post-It"
won't work! Trust me if this has happened toNotepads."So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey,
you you're not alone.In such instances wewe've got this amazing thing, even built with
generally have two choices. One, we can letsome of your parts, and what do you think
go of the idea and be left with the dreadedabout funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We
"what if I'd only tried" question runningjust want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll
through our minds . Or two, we can get acome work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So
second opinion!Luckily for us the people fromthen we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they
the next few examples did justsaid, 'Hey, we don't need you; you haven't
that!"Computers in the future may weigh nogot through college yet.'" - Apple Computer
more than 15 tons." - Popular Mechanics,"Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get
forecasting the relentless march of science,Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve
1949."I think there is a world market forWozniak's personal computer."Professor
maybe  five  computers."Goddard does not know the relation between
action and reaction and the need to have
- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943."Isomething better than a vacuum against which
have traveled the length and breadth of thisto react. He seems to lack the basic
country and talked with the best people, andknowledge ladled out daily in high schools."
I can assure you that data processing is a- New York Times editorial about Robert
fad that won't last out the year." - TheGoddard's revolutionary rocket work,
editor in charge of business books for1921."You want to have consistent and uniform
Prentice Hall, 1957."But what...is it goodmuscle development across all of your
for?" - Engineer at the Advanced Computingmuscles? It can't be done. It's just a fact
Systems Division of IBM commenting on theof life. You just have to accept inconsistent
microchip, 1968."There is no reason anyonemuscle development as an unalterable
would want a computer in their home." - Kencondition of weight training." - Response to
Olson, president, chairman and founder ofArthur Jones, who solved the "unsolvable"
Digital Equipment Corp., 1977"Thisproblem by inventing Nautilus."Drill for oil?
'telephone' has too many shortcomings to beYou mean drill into the ground to try and
seriously considered as a means offind oil? You're crazy." - Drillers who Edwin
communication. The device is inherently of noL. Drake tried to enlist to his project to
value to us." - Western Union internal memo,drill for oil in 1859."Stocks have reached
1876."The wireless music box has nowhat looks like a permanently high plateau."
imaginable commercial value. Who would pay- Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale
for a message sent to nobody in particular?"University, 1929."Airplanes are interesting
- David Sarnoff's associates in response totoys but of no military value." - Mrechal
his urgings for investment in the radio inFerdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole
the 1920s."The concept is interesting andSuperieure de Guerre."Everything that can be
well-formed, but in order to earn better thaninvented has been invented." - Charles H.
a 'C,' the idea must be feasible." - A YaleDuell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents,
University management professor in response1899."Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is
to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliableridiculous fiction". - Pierre Pachet,
overnight delivery service. (Smith went on toProfessor of Physiology at Toulouse,
found Federal Express Corp.)Who the heck1872."The abdomen, the chest and the brain
wants to hear actors talk?" - Harry M.will forever be shut from the intrusion of
Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927."I'm just gladthe wise and humane surgeon." - Sir John Eric
it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on hisEricksen, British surgeon, appointed
face and not Gary Cooper." - Gary Cooper onSurgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria,
his decision not to take the leading role in1873."640k ought to be enough for anybody." -
"Gone with the Wind.""A cookie store is a badBill Gates, 1981Wow! can you imagine what
idea. Besides, the market research reportswould have happened if the folks who heard
say America likes crispy cookies, not softthese "expert opinions" hadn't gone for a
and chewy cookies like you make." - Responsesecond opinion? Never fear following your
to Debbi Fields' idea of starting herpassion... Here's to your success, Josh
company, Mrs. Fields' Cookies."We don't likeHindsJosh Hinds of specializes in helping
their sound, and guitar music is on the waypeople to achieve maximum success and live
out." - Decca Recording Co. rejecting thethe life of their dreams -- receive his
Beatles, 1962."Heavier-than-air flyingmotivation newsletter by going to is also
machines are impossible." - Lord Kelvin,the co-founder of - visit now to hear
president, Royal Society, 1895."If I hadleading motivational speakers and authors.
thought about it, I wouldn't have done the