The strongest impression one gets of Wilbur Wright is of a man who lives largely in a world of his own.
-- Schoolmate of Wilbur’s (chapter 1 paragraph 13)

Importance: Wilbur was serious and intense and never forgot anything he heard. He would often isolate himself so that he would be alone in his own world.

In a speech years later Wilbur would remark that if he were to give a young man advice on how to get ahead in life, he would say, ‘Pick out a good father and mother, and begin life in Ohio.
-- Narrator/Wilbur Wright (chapter 1 paragraph 39)

Importance: After Wilbur and Orville Wright came to international fame, Wilbur never forgot his roots and attributed his success to his parents and the conservative Midwest where he was born and raised.

A friend told Orville that he and his brother would always stand as an example of how far Americans with no advantages could advance in the world. ‘But it isn’t true...
-- Orville Wright (chapter 1 paragraph 71)