Henry Petroski - To engineer is human (1985)

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The work of the engineer is not unlike that of the writer. How the original design for a new bridge comes to be may involve as great a leap of the imagination as the first draft of a novel.

Henry Petroski

The engineer no less than the poet sees the faults in his creations, and he learns more from his mistakes and those of others than he does from all the masterpieces created by himself and his peers.

Henry Petroski

Designing a bridge or any other large structure is not unlike planning a trip or vacation. The end may be clear and simple: to go from here to there. But the means may be limited only by our imagination.

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 word that is not quite le mot juste or the hairline crack that blemishes the structure.

Henry Petroski