Why "It Can't Be Done" is a Dangerous Statement

"SEVERAL DOZEN OF THE STUPIDEST THINGS EVER SAID"

He's probably right.

Among my favorites are

• " 'Everything that can be invented has been invented.' --Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899."
• " 'Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.' --Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895."
• " 'Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.' --1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work."
• " 'A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.' --Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies."