Nikola Tesla quotes
1856 – 1943 · Austrian Empire — United States, 19th–20th century · inventor, electrical engineer, physicist, futurist
About Nikola Tesla
Born in 1856 in Smiljan and died in 1943 in New York, Nikola Tesla devised key elements of alternating‑current power—induction motors and polyphase transmission—during the 1880s and patented them in 1888. He became a U.S. citizen in 1891, built the Tesla coil (1891), conducted high‑voltage and wireless experiments, and erected the Wardenclyffe works (1901–1906).
Works: AC power system; induction motor; Tesla coil; Wardenclyffe Tower
Quotes
“The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.”
Source: no specific work is documented · Check the source
Disputed attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- Widely attributed to Nikola Tesla and often presented as the closing line of a longer statement about letting the future judge one's work.
- What remains uncertain
- Attribution is disputed: some cite a 1905 article, others a 1927 interview, but the exact English wording and primary source are not conclusively verified.
The line draws a sharp contrast between instant fame and historical vindication: Tesla stakes his claim on being judged by posterity rather than by contemporaries. It reflects a career of bold experiments, patent fights and ideas whose full value became clearer only later.