“If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.” – Frank Wilczek. Frank Wilczek earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics at the University of Chicago in 1970, a Masters of Arts in Mathematics at Princeton in 1972, and a Ph. D in physics at Princeton in 1974. Frank Wilczek along with two others received the Nobel Prize in 2004 for their work in the field of physics. Currently he holds the Herman Feshback Professorship in physics at MIT. We believe the quote to mean that if you are not challenging yourself you limit the opportunity to learn, to make breakthroughs and to overcome your own weaknesses. For example, Walt Disney the founder of Disney was fired from his job at a newspaper for lack of imagination and having no good ideas. He went bankrupt in 1921. The initial proposal for Disneyland was rejected by the city of Anaheim. However, at the time of his death, Disney’s net worth was roughly $5 billion. The company is now worth $179.5 billion last reported by Forbes. The quote relates to the projects we do in the manner of having to leave our comfort zone to socialize and work with strangers. To stand up and speak in front of group. Also, to take an in depth look at problems, think outside the box to solve those problems, and then take a step back and gain a further understanding at the bigger scheme of things. Our group chose this quote in particular because it encourages people to challenge oneself in order to expand mentally and emotionally and also to convey that innovation does not come without mistakes and is no easy task.
