Industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947), the father of the automobile, changed the world forever with his creation of assembly line production in 1913.

"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits," he once said.

The son of Irish immigrants, Ford was always fascinated by how things worked and worked with machines and engines as a teenager. His mother called him a "born mechanic" who always tried to find new ways to make things better.

With the spirit of innovation, Ford formed the Ford Motor Company in 1903 to build "a motorcar for the great multitude," the Model T, or Tin Lizzie. "It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise."

Ford created a revolutionary moving assembly line, where workers lined up on a motorized conveyer belt. By 1915, the assembly line was producing nearly 45% of all cars manufactured in the United States.

"There is joy in work," Ford explained. "There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something."

Made of tough but lightweight steel alloy, the 1908 car sold for $500. With such an inexpensive and easy to repair car, ownership became a possibility for many. Ford outdistanced all competitors and became the largest automobile producer in the world. By 1927, over 15,000,000 Model T had been sold.

"Coming together is a beginning," Ford said, "keeping together is progress; working together is success."

More Henry FORD Quotations

Failure is only an opportunity to reach greatness.