Clarence Birdseye
Birth Name: Clarence Frank Birdseye II
Birthdate: December 9, 1886
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.A,
Date of Death: October 7, 1956
Occupation: Entrepreneur, Inventor, Naturalist, and Scientist
Profile: Regarded as the founder of the modern method for fast-freezing food.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Birdseye
Number of Quotes: 22
Any youth that makes security his main goal shackles himself at the very start of life’s race.
By freezing perishable foods in a manner that would retain their original freshness and
flavor, I saw an opportunity to provide consumers with high-quality products year-round.
This summarizes the core motivation and business proposition behind his invention, frequently cited in
articles and histories about him. It reflects the essence of his numerous patents and business plans.
Change is the very essence of American life.
Develop a questioning mind and don’t be afraid to take a chance! Develop a questioning mind – don’t be afraid to take a chance.
Enthusiasm and hard work are… indispensable ingredients of achievement.
Go around asking a lot of damfool questions and taking chances. Only through curiosity
can we discover opportunities, and only by gambling can we take advantage of them.
I am best described as just a guy with a very large bump of curiosity and a gambling instinct.
I am a jack-of-all-trades without any one job or profession.
I am just as much interested in the manufacture of chewing gum as of steel.
I am never bored, because I am always prying into something or other which fascinates me.
Life has been an exciting adventure since my earliest remembrance, and today at 64, I am having just as much fun as I ever did.
My curiosity led me to another small gold mine...
Only through curiosity can we discover opportunities, and only through gambling can we take advantage of them.
Quality control must be relentless.
Attributed to him regarding the operation of his company, General Seafoods Corporation (later Birdseye division of General Foods). He
understood that maintaining the quality and safety of frozen food was critical to consumer acceptance and the success of his business.
Some pious people say gambling is sinful, but actually it has always been and still is responsible for all progress, both spiritual and material.
The faster you freeze, the better the quality.
This is a fundamental principle of his flash-freezing technology. While likely paraphrased, it directly reflects the scientific basis
of his work and was a key tenet he emphasized in his technical descriptions and patent applications (e.g., US Patent #1,773,079).
The idea was not brand-new – few ideas are – but no one had every worked it out on what we considered a practical basis.
There are at least 20 times as many opportunities as there were when I was 21.
There are some people… who say opportunity went out with the horse and buggy. That is rubbish.
This process locks in the flavor and freshness at the peak of perfection.
Paraphrasing of how he described the benefit of his flash-freezing process to consumers and investors. It captures the key selling point he championed.
Today anything which is 20 years old is, or should be, apt to be obsolete.
Worthwhile success is impossible in a 40-hour week.
Last on Earth
