Albert Einstein? Armand Hammer? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A hospital in Rhode Island has a display in the main lobby listing the names of generous donors. The following quotation attributed to Albert Einstein is also printed on the display: It is the responsibility of every human being to aspire to do something worthwhile, to make …
Category Archives: Albert Einstein
We Don’t Know Who Discovered Water, But We Know It Wasn’t a Fish
Marshall McLuhan? Albert Einstein? Clyde Kluckhohn? Pierce Butler? James C. Coleman? John H. Fisher? John Culkin? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Sometimes an individual embedded in a particular culture or environment can become blind to the prevailing norms within his or her domain. I have heard a figurative expression that illustrates this predicament. Here are three …
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There Was a Young Lady Named Bright Whose Speed Was Far Faster Than Light
Bishop of Chelmsford? A. H. Reginald Buller? Albert Einstein? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a popular comical limerick about a young woman named White or Bright that highlights the counterintuitive nature of time measurements in Einstein’s theory of relativity. Do you know this poem? Do you know who composed it? Quote Investigator: The earliest …
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A Ship in Harbor Is Safe, But that Is Not What Ships Are Built For
John A. Shedd? Grace Hopper? Albert Einstein? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: On December 9, 2013 the Google Doodle honored the pioneering computer scientist and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. Here are two versions of a quotation that is often attributed to her: A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what …
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They’re Cheering Us Both, You Because Nobody Understands You, and Me Because Everybody Understands Me
Charlie Chaplin? Albert Einstein? János Plesch? Hans Albert Einstein? Eduard Einstein? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The entertainer Charlie Chaplin and the scientist Albert Einstein were two of the most famous individuals of the last century. I have heard the following anecdote about a meeting between them in the 1930s. While traveling together they were recognized …
I Understand It Brings You Luck, Whether You Believe in It or Not
Niels Bohr? Albert Einstein? Carl Alfred Meier? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: There is popular anecdote about a journalist or friend who visited the home of a prominent physicist. The visitor was surprised to find a horseshoe above the front doorway of the scientist’s abode. Tradition asserts that a horseshoe acts as a talisman of luck …
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The Intuitive Mind Is a Sacred Gift and the Rational Mind Is a Faithful Servant
Albert Einstein? Bob Samples? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A well-known scholar delivered a lively and appealing lecture online which included the following quotation. The words were attributed to Einstein, but I am skeptical: The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors …
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If the Bee Disappeared Off the Face of the Earth, Man Would Only Have Four Years Left To Live
Albert Einstein? Charles Darwin? Maurice Maeterlinck? E. O. Wilson? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A dramatic quotation about the dangers of environmental upheaval is attributed to the brilliant physicist Albert Einstein. Here are two versions: If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No …
I Never Think of the Future. It Comes Soon Enough
Albert Einstein? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The following saying is attributed to the scientific genius Albert Einstein: I never think of the future – it comes soon enough. Did he really say this? When did he say it? Quote Investigator: The earliest evidence of this saying located by QI was printed in a newspaper article …
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Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid
Albert Einstein? Amos Dolbear? Matthew Kelly? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The following saying is popular on Facebook where it is credited to Albert Einstein. I have also seen it on numerous websites: Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life …