It was because of the success of the Super Soaker, I was able to at least get an audience with people to present some of my other ideas. — Lonnie Johnson

After I graduated from Tuskegee with a masters in nuclear engineering, the draft was on so I signed up for ROTC. I figured if I had to go into the military, I’d rather go in as an officer. — Lonnie Johnson

There are maybe three inventions I have that I rank as my top inventions that I’m most proud of. The robot I built in high school, the memory–protected circuitry for the Galileo and the Super Soaker. — Lonnie Johnson

I wound up getting offered a job at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory where I invented a power supply mechanism for the Galileo space craft which was in orbit around Jupiter until 2003. — Lonnie Johnson

I think America’s strength is in innovation. — Lonnie Johnson

Peer review is fine, as long as you’re making incremental improvements to a technology. — Lonnie Johnson

I don’t think there’s any project that I started that I ever stopped working on. — Lonnie Johnson

There was a time in my life when I was independently wealthy. — Lonnie Johnson

If they continue on this path it sets a bad precedent for warm–water species management, we just think long term it will harm the (warm–water) fishery. — Lonnie Johnson

I can remember times when we’d be having parties, and people would be dancing and everything and I would be sitting there in the middle doing calculus, just doing my little thing. — Lonnie Johnson

I decided I could develop a toy and get some revenue from that and then use that revenue to really become an inventor and work on some of the more challenging projects I had in mind. — Lonnie Johnson

Sitting still, a person produces about 100 watts of heat. What if you could use that to charge your cell phone? — Lonnie Johnson

I consider myself a general practitioner. I do electronic things. I do toys and water things, mechanical stuff. I’m very, very flexible. — Lonnie Johnson

Especially when you have a lot of technology you’re developing as a small company, trying to protect that technology is a real problem. — Lonnie Johnson

I like all kinds of music. I listen to Abigail Washburn, the Punch Brothers, and Marc Johnson, the great clawhammer player. I also listen a lot to Sirius Radio, there’s a lot of bluegrass there. — Steve Martin

That’s one of the advantages of being an inventor and tinkerer–I have everything I need to make what I need. — Lonnie Johnson

The invention that most people know me for is the Super Soaker water gun. I knew the gun worked well, and I knew it would be successful. I did not realize how successful it would be. — Lonnie Johnson

Nobody’s going to step in and dump a lot of money and make it easy. Unless you have a lot of money, you have to pay your dues and make a personal sacrifice. — Lonnie Johnson

Lady Luck is indifferent. She smiles sometimes, and she frowns sometimes. — Lonnie Johnson

I have never really understood why in this country so many people look down on black people. — Lonnie Johnson

Most of my career as an engineer, I was put in environments where I was the only person of color in the room. — Lonnie Johnson

I have a collection of SuperSoakers. I have managed to keep most of them. — Lonnie Johnson

I didn’t want to grow old and find that I didn’t do what I could have done, that I didn’t put my best foot forward. I didn’t want to have any regrets. — Lonnie Johnson

I received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, then graduated with a masters in nuclear engineering. — Lonnie Johnson

Persevere. That’s what I always say to people. There’s no easy route. — Lonnie Johnson

I love playing around with ideas and turning them into something useful or fun. — Lonnie Johnson

I’ve always liked to tinker with things. — Lonnie Johnson

As an inventor, it’s a rite of passage to have an engine. I’d like to have my own engine someday. — Lonnie Johnson