Wise People
The idea of gas engines was by no means new, but this was the first time that a really serious effort had been made to put them on the market. They were received with interest rather than enthusiasm and I do not recall any one who thought that the internal combustion engine could ever have more than a limited use. All the wise people demonstrated conclusively that the engine could not compete with steam. They never thought that it might carve out a career for itself. That is the way with wise people - they are so wise and practical that they always know to a dot just why something cannot be done; they always know the limitations.
Check out Ford's Thoughts on Horses; also see his autobiography.