Necessity is the mother of invention

Cultural  

1. A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem. This saying appears in the dialogue Republic, by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.

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necessity is the mother of invention Idioms  

1. Inventiveness and ingenuity are stimulated by difficulty. For example, The first prisoner to tie together bedsheets to escape knew that necessity was the mother of invention. This proverb first appeared in English in 1519 in slightly different form, “Need taught him wit,” and exists in many other languages as well.

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Example Sentences

The proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" has been used to describe the source from which our cultural evolution springs.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2024

If necessity is the mother of invention, then crisis is its drill sergeant.

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2022

The proverb that necessity is the mother of invention seems highly appropriate in providing a glimpse of how we may begin to address the climate crisis moving forward.

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2022

In the weeks to come, we’re about to relearn that old truth: necessity is the mother of invention.

From Scientific American • Apr. 7, 2020

Mr. Fazio once told me that necessity is the mother of invention.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi