Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1179IR // #c1179Synthesis

"Benjamin West made his first brushes out of the cat's tail." "Watt made his first model of the condensing steam-engine out of an old anatomist's syringe"

— In our words · Source: Self-Help (Samuel Smiles)

[Use when]

You're holding off on starting until you have the right equipment.

[Why it matters]

Smiles lists a run of first instruments: Wilkie's burnt stick, Ferguson's bead-and-thread star map, Franklin's silk kite, Rittenhouse's plough handle. None waited for proper tools.

Filed under situations:When it’s day one and nothing exists yet

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