“I am wondering what would have happened to me if some uent
talker had converted me to the theory of the eight-hour day and
convinced me that it was not fair to my fellow workers to put
forth my best efforts in my work. I am glad that the eight-hour
day had not been invented when I was a young man. If my life
had been made up of eight-hour days, I don’t believe I could
have accomplished a great deal. This country would not amount
to as much as it has if the young men of fty years ago had been
afraid that they might earn more than they were paid for.”
– Thomas Edison, 1847-1931, inventor