Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Author: Thomas A. Edison Copy Quote More from Thomas A. Edison “Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; a…” “People who will not turn a shovel full of dirt on the project nor contribute a …” “Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positi…” “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”