Nikola Tesla: Imagination and the Man That Invented the 20th Century

by Sean Patrick

While many theories were put forth, there was one common factor that researchers recognized in all great performers: they practiced so hard and intensely that it hurt.

the seed of greatness exists in every human being.

being in the right place (physical, educational, societal, or otherwise) at the right time can influence our destinies as much as anything else.

There is no shortage of problems to be solved, needs and desires to be fulfilled, and innovative ways to help others.

we don’t seek the meaning of life, but the experience of being alive. And that’s what the nature of genius is ultimately about.

“Facts and ideas are dead in themselves and it is the imagination that gives life to them.”

Many calls to adventure are puzzles waiting to be solved. Anyone can apply, but the price of admission is paid in imagination.

Imagination is the life force of the genius code.

In every field of human endeavor, the more visionary the work, the less likely it is to be quickly understood and embraced by lesser minds.

“knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

Marcus Aurelius once said that a person’s life is “dyed with the color of his imagination.”

Like genius itself, creativity is a process, not a providence.

When you start viewing creativity as a process of combination, and imagination as the ability to connect, stretch, and merge things in new ways, creative brilliance becomes less mystifying. A creative genius is just better at connecting the dots than others are.

Ray Bradbury said that thinking is the enemy of creativity because it’s self-conscious.

“As we grow older reason asserts itself and we become more and more systematic and designing. But those early impulses, though not immediately productive, are of the greatest moment and may shape our very destinies.”

Before you can connect dots, you need to have dots to connect. The more material you’re exposed to in the world, the more grist you’ll have for your imagination mill.

The more varied your knowledge and experiences are, the more likely you are to be able to create new associations and fresh ideas.

It takes curiosity to find your call to adventure, it takes courage to venture into the unknown, and it takes imagination to create your path.