Ambition and achievement
Restlessness is discontent — and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man — and I will show you a failure.
— Thomas Edison (1847–1931), The Diary and Sundry Observations of Thomas Alva Edison (1948), p. 110

Ambition and achievement

What it means

Edison sees discontent as the engine of progress: someone fully satisfied has stopped improving. Healthy restlessness keeps us moving forward.

About the author

Thomas Edison — American inventor and businessman (1847–1931).

Source and verification

Source
The Diary and Sundry Observations of Thomas Alva Edison (1948), p. 110
Reference
Thomas Edison on Wikiquote
Checked
Wording and source taken from the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page, which cites the work given here (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright
Public domain: the author died in 1931.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

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