28. Patience

Short Stories
of Science and Invention

A Collection of Radio Talks by
Charles F. Kettering

Weekly, from September 1942 to July 1945, Charles F. Kettering gave five-minute intermission talks about Science and Invention during the radio broadcasts of the General Motors Symphony of the Air.

Kettering invented the first automobile self-starter, and for 31 years directed a research laboratory for General Motors.

These radio talks are a fascinating legacy from the mind of a prolific inventor. The obvious anachronisms now add a historical perspective of the war-time period in which they were written.

These web pages now preserve some of the most popular stories for a new generation to read The text and art come from a General Motors booklet of selected talks. (Reprint, March 1959)

28. Patience
A Radio Talk by Charles F. Kettering

The other day a gentleman came to my office and said, "My friends think I should be more patient. Now I want to talk to you, as I understand research requires a lot of patience and I want to know just where to draw the line.

How much patience should you have before people think you are stupid?" I explained to him that patience is not an isolated thing. It is an intelligent desire with a willingness to work, and an understanding of how much effort and time will be required.

Sign

     The man was right when he said research required a lot of patience. To start out on a new project is something like taking a trip from New York to the West Coast. We must know our destination and understand about how long the trip will last. We must realize that we will have to be on the train for several days. No intelligent person would become impatient and get off the train at Kansas City and then complain that he was not in Los Angeles.

      For a classic illustration of patience, let us look at the career of Charles Goodyear. In 1833, Goodyear became interested in rubber and the many failures that prevented rubber from becoming one of the world's most valuable materials.

     Realizing what a great benefit such a material would be to mankind, he resolved to dedicate his life to the solution of the problem. He had picked his destination.