It is a mere question of time when men will succeed in attaching their machinery to the very wheelwork of nature.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that technological advancement is inevitable and will eventually align with the natural processes of the world.
Nikola Tesla's quote reflects his belief in the inevitable integration of technology with nature. He envisions a future where human-made machinery will harmonize with the natural world, enhancing our ability to tap into its resources and rhythms. This statement emphasizes the importance of innovation and the idea that as we progress, we will find ways to coexist with nature rather than exploit it.
In practice
During a technology conference to inspire the crowd about innovation.
Even matter called inorganic, believed to be dead, responds to irritants and gives unmistakable evidence of a living principle within. Everything that exists, organic or inorganic, animated or inert, is susceptible to stimulus from the outside.
Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world.
Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance.
The history of science shows that theories are perishable. With every new truth that is revealed we get a better understanding of Nature and our conceptions and views are modified.
The Secretary of Hygiene or Physical Culture will be far more important in the cabinet of the President of the United States who holds office in the year 2035 than the Secretary of War.
I am unwilling to accord to some small−minded and jealous individuals the satisfaction of having thwarted my efforts. These men are to me nothing more than microbes of a nasty disease. My project was retarded by laws of nature. The world was not prepared for it. It was too far ahead of time, but the same laws will prevail in the end and make it a triumphal success.
As scientists, we track down all promising leads, and there's reason to suspect that our universe may be one of many - a single bubble in a huge bubble bath of other universes.
There are as many species as the infinite being created diverse forms in the beginning, which, following the laws of generation, produced many others, but always similar to them: therefore there are as many species as we have different structures before us today.
Human beings would split the atom and invent television, nylon, and instant coffee before they could figure out the age of their own planet.
When I am in the company of scientists, I feel like a shabby curate who has strayed by mistake into a drawing room full of dukes.
If everything in the universe depends upon everything else in a fundamental way, it might be impossible to get close to a full solution by investigating parts of the problem in isolation.
We went to the Moon as technicians; we returned as humanitarians.
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