"If we did not have such a thing as an airplane today, we would probably create something the size of N.A.S.A. to make one"
About this Quote
Ross Perot delivers a wry jab at modern bureaucracy and our tendency to overbuild institutions before we build solutions. Airplanes were born from a bicycle shop and the stubborn experimentation of the Wright brothers, financed by small budgets, household tools, and trial and error. Perot suggests that today's reflex, confronted with the same problem, would be to construct a sprawling organization first and innovate second, smothering creativity under committees, procurement rules, and endless oversight.
That sentiment fits his broader worldview. As a billionaire entrepreneur turned political outsider in the 1990s, Perot hammered on fiscal discipline and the inefficiencies of big government. He was not anti-technology; he built a fortune in data processing and admired engineering prowess. But he distrusted the way institutions accumulate layers of process that grow faster than outcomes. NASA serves here as a symbol of scale, not a knock on its achievements. It was built to land humans on the Moon, a task that truly required a national mobilization. An airplane, by contrast, did not need a moonshot bureaucracy to come into being.
The line also warns about risk aversion. Breakthroughs thrive on short feedback cycles, rough prototypes, and a tolerance for failure. Large agencies often prioritize predictability and compliance, which can slow iteration and dilute accountability. The rise of new space companies alongside NASA shows a different balance: smaller teams iterate rapidly while partnering with public institutions where scale and safety demand it.
Perot's point is about proportionality. Build big only when the challenge demands it. Preserve room for tinkerers, startups, and lean teams to try, fail, and try again. Do not transform every problem into a Manhattan Project. Innovation is not just funding and headcount; it is speed, ownership, and the freedom to experiment. The airplane was possible because someone could simply start building one. That spirit is worth protecting.
That sentiment fits his broader worldview. As a billionaire entrepreneur turned political outsider in the 1990s, Perot hammered on fiscal discipline and the inefficiencies of big government. He was not anti-technology; he built a fortune in data processing and admired engineering prowess. But he distrusted the way institutions accumulate layers of process that grow faster than outcomes. NASA serves here as a symbol of scale, not a knock on its achievements. It was built to land humans on the Moon, a task that truly required a national mobilization. An airplane, by contrast, did not need a moonshot bureaucracy to come into being.
The line also warns about risk aversion. Breakthroughs thrive on short feedback cycles, rough prototypes, and a tolerance for failure. Large agencies often prioritize predictability and compliance, which can slow iteration and dilute accountability. The rise of new space companies alongside NASA shows a different balance: smaller teams iterate rapidly while partnering with public institutions where scale and safety demand it.
Perot's point is about proportionality. Build big only when the challenge demands it. Preserve room for tinkerers, startups, and lean teams to try, fail, and try again. Do not transform every problem into a Manhattan Project. Innovation is not just funding and headcount; it is speed, ownership, and the freedom to experiment. The airplane was possible because someone could simply start building one. That spirit is worth protecting.
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| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
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