The Faster Horse

The lens from which we view the world matters. Perception distorts reality. And, at times, the story evolves, changes even. In this world, the local newspaper, colleagues at work, and family gatherings often come from a certain lens. Instead of facts, we are at times a society of stories, fables, and legends. Take the following quote:

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” -Henry Ford

Oft-quoted, almost Jobs-Ian in a way. Personally, I love the wording and meaning. So many meanings.

Do your jam. Follow your heart. Commitment to an idea. Be wary of the crowd.

Despite my love for the content, I came across this piece that Ford may not have uttered the words. In the footnotes from HBR, the Ford museum was asked about the attribution:

”In the past research on this topic has not yielded satisfactory results either for the researcher or the research staff. Mr. Ford wrote numerous articles for a variety of periodicals and newspapers and the quotes attributed to him were varied and often unsubstantiated.”

In the end, I suppose the truth, at least in this case, matters little. It’s a great feel-good quote.

References

• I wanted to leverage a picture of a Duryea Motor Trap located in the Peoria, IL Museum. When car innovation soared from many different companies, this model sprung up, eventually to be replaced and lose in the market. So, many design forks before gas became dominant. Diesel. Electric. Glad to see competition soar back into the market.
• Instead, I leveraged a picture from the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN. Both stops are worth of a visit.