This sentence is included in "The Story of the 100 Most Influential Celebrities in the World", compiled by the National Primary and Secondary School-Based Curriculum and Textbook Research Center.

Edison obtained more than 1,300 invention patents in his life and was called the "King of Inventions." The key to developing electric lights is to find filament materials. It is said that Edison tested 1,600 heat-resistant materials and 6,000 plant fibers, but all failed. In October 1879, Edison saw a report in a magazine that Swann had made an incandescent lamp from carbon filament, and he was deeply inspired. He burned cotton filament into carbon filament, then put the carbon filament into the light bulb, and carefully evacuated the vacuum. When the electric current was passed through, the filament glowed brightly, which lasted for 45 hours. Edison finally succeeded.

When talking about his invention, Edison said: "Surprise is the seed of science; invention is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent blood and sweat; I have never made anything in my life. An accidental invention, all my inventions are the result of careful consideration and rigorous testing."