Original artwork, not a still
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line turns forecasting into a job: stop guessing what computers will be and build the ones you want. It fits PARC's record of the Alto, the graphical desktop and networked personal computing, which is why founders and keynote speakers reach for it. It is often handed to Drucker or Lincoln, but the trail runs back through Kay and, before him, Gabor.
Context reviewed
In context
May contain spoilersShow the scene
Alan Kay says he coined this maxim, using it from 1971 at Xerox PARC, where his group was working toward a truly personal computer. Quote Investigator traces older relatives: Dennis Gabor wrote in his 1963 book Inventing the Future that the future cannot be predicted, and a 1979 speech credited Ilya Prigogine with a version. InfoWorld reported in 1982 that it was the PARC researchers' maxim. The Drucker and Lincoln credits found online are not supported by the early record QI found.
Sources (1)
- Quote Investigator: We Cannot Predict the Future, But We Can Invent Itreply section and the 1963, 1979 and 1982 citationsReference checked
Context reviewed