1
general::
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.
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): Necessity is the mother of invention.
Prov. When people really need to do something, they will figure out a way to do it. • When the fan belt on Linda’s car broke in the middle of the desert, Linda used her stockings as a replacement. Necessity is the mother of invention.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs