Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

Thomas A. Edison’s remark circulated in the early 20th century amid popular fascination with invention and the “great man” theory of genius. Edison, who ran large industrial research operations at Menlo Park and later West Orange, repeatedly emphasized methodical experimentation, long hours, and iterative trial-and-error over sudden flashes of insight. The line is commonly linked to a 1903 interview in which he downplayed romantic notions of inspiration and framed invention as disciplined labor. In that setting, the quip functioned both as personal credo and as a public lesson: breakthroughs come from sustained work, not merely innate brilliance.

The aphorism argues that exceptional achievement is overwhelmingly the product of effort rather than raw talent or momentary inspiration. “One percent inspiration” concedes that ideas and imaginative leaps matter, but “ninety-nine percent perspiration” insists that execution—testing, revising, and persisting through failure—is what turns ideas into results. The saying also demystifies “genius,” recasting it as a practice accessible through discipline and endurance. In modern terms, it anticipates process-oriented views of creativity: innovation is less a lightning bolt than a grind of incremental improvements, informed by curiosity but sustained by work.

1) “Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration.”
2) “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
3) “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”