Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach perfection. And engineers, like poets, are seldom completely satisfied with … - Henry Petroski

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A wise man should not divulge the formula of a medicine which he has well prepared; an act of charity which he has performed; domestic conflicts; private affairs with his wife; poorly prepared food he may have been offered; or slang he may have heard.

Henry Petroski

Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach perfection. And engineers, like poets, are seldom completely satisfied with their creations. They notice, even if no one else does, the world that is not quite le mot juste, or the hairline crack that blemishes the structure.

Doe, Engineering, Engineers, Perfection, Quite

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The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering gains made by the computer hardware industry.

Achievement, Amazing, Continuing, Gains, Staggering, Technology

Engineers are not superhuman. They make mistakes in their assumptions, in their calculations, in their conclusions. That they make mistakes is forgivable; that they catch them is imperative. Thus it is the essence of modern engineering not only to be able to check one's own work but also to have one's work checked and to be able to check the work of others.

Catch, Engineering, Essence, Mistake, Mistakes

No one wants to learn from mistakes, but we cannot learn enough from successes to go beyond the state of the art.

Art, Enough, Learn, Mistake, Success

The plain wooden toothpick, it may be argued, is among the simplest of manufactured things. It consists of a single part, made of a single material, intended for a single purpose-from which it gets its simple name. It is also among the most convenient and ready of things. It can be used directly out of the box-there being no instructions to read, no parts to assemble, no priming or booting required, and no maintenance expected. When it has served its purpose, it is simply discarded.

Convenient, Names, Priming, Purpose, Simple

Engineering is achieving function while avoiding failure.

Achieve, Achieving, Engineering, Function