That's an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Hayes dismisses a new invention by questioning its practical value to users.
- In plain terms
- An invention might be amazing but useless if no one wants to use it.
- What can you take from it?
- Utility matters more than novelty in inventions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does novelty outweigh utility?
- Who decides if an invention is useful?
Another view
Novelty can drive adoption even when immediate utility is unclear.
More from Rutherford B. Hayes
In avoiding the appearance of evil, I am not sure but I have sometimes unnecessarily deprived myself and others of innocent enjoyments.
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