Lately I’ve seen a quote from Einstein that goes something like this: “Make things as simple as possible–but no simpler.”
I’m wondering if anyone can provide a reference for the quote, as well as the correct text. Anyone?
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Several sites have this wording. I wonder if the orignial was in English or in German.
Creative Quotations gives the source as “Reader’s Digest,” Oct 1977. Not the most authoritative reference, especially considering it was published 22 years after Einstein died.
How about his quote, “You cannot simultaneously prepare for and prevent war.” Where did that come from?
I was also wondering if there are quotes by Henry Kissinger on the subject of special relativity. Do we know anything about the views of Machiavelli on the subject of astrophysics?
Sorry, I’m in a bad mood and am choosing to take it out on hippy bumperstickers. Don’t get me started on “Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live”.
Whatsamatta, Boris? People who aren’t politicians not allowed to have political opinions? Guess if they’re not involved in running the world directly they shouldn’t have anything to say about it.
Go read this.
Of course Einstein had a right to his own opinions on politics, but I have to agree with Boris. Just because a person is an expert in one field (like physics), that doesn’t mean his opinions in another field (like politics) are more valuable than any other schmo’s. To suppose otherwise is to engage the Appeal to Authority (Argumentum ad Verecundiam), a fallacy of weak induction. This certainly doesn’t prove that Einstein was wrong, but his statement is no more valuable than if Vivaldi or Pauling had said just the opposite.
Yes, bibliophage has pretty much pegged what it was I was trying to say. Having produced a lot of the basic knowledge required to design the atomic bomb is the closest Einstein comes to any experience of international affairs, and it’s not very close. It’s not a coincidence that the hippies I’m stinging on picked Einstein for their poster child; he was a nice guy, and perhaps the world’s greatest physicist (though I chafe at the constant assertion that he was “the smartest human who ever lived” or whatever"; for all we know that could be a Cro-Magnon who figured out a new way to mount a spearhead, and who had a 400-word vocabulary in contrast to the 150-word vocabs of his friends; there is simply no way to compare). The point is, Einstein is not an authority on international relations. His opinion is no more factual than Dave Mustaine’s. If some hippy wanted to quote his/her granny as saying, “Well, durn, I dunno why they think they can make piece by building tons of newklur bombs”, it would be a more worthy quote, as well as a more ballsy choice.
Admittedly, I would feel differently if I agreed with Einstein on this one. I don’t. There are very few serious pacifists in the world’s defense establishments and foreign ministries. History is chock-full of examples of countries who didn’t get attacked because they were too tough to be considered worth the trouble. I know of no examples of countries who weren’t attacked because they could not defend themselves. If Einstein was just upset at how much was being spent on redundant offensive arsenals, he should have said so. Try this, Albert, “You cannot assume that a large defense budget is a substitute for wisdom in international relations.” Frankly, I suspect he said something like this at least once in his life, when he was not in such a sound-bite kind of mood, but I guess it’s not the kind of thing a hippy wants on her/his bumper next to “Love Your Mother” and “Not All Who Wander Are Lost”.
Give me a break. Physics and the other ‘hard’ sciences are demonstrably difficult to master for the average person, whereas any schmo can be elected mayor.
I’ll take Einstein’s opinions on politics over Dan Quayle’s opinions of geography or spelling any day.
It’s like saying a heart surgeon’s opinion of how properly to sweep the floor is equivalent to a janitor’s opinion of coronary bypass vs. angioplasty. Give me a freaking break.
Whoops, we totally hijacked this thread. Back on topic, the only citation I’ve found is the reader’s digest as mentioned above. I dunno if you could find it on microfiche at the library, but maybe…
OK, Boris - after your clarification it makes a bit more sense to me - true, international relations may be a bit more difficult to grasp than, say, how to spell “potatoe”. Sorry I went off on you.
You are right that experts in one field are not experts in other fields, my point was that in some fields it doesn’t matter if you are an expert because, well, how hard is it? But international policy and not starting WWIII is a bit out of the league of, say, toilet scrubbing. I retract my earlier sarcastic remarks.
Yes, we have kinda hijacked this thread just a teensy bit. It’s not my fault! I’m almost got run over this morning after seeing a car with the “Not All Who Wander…” and “You Cannot Simultaneously…” stickers on its posterior. It was parked. But having the Buzzbomb from Pasadena (not all who wander are washed) almost mow me down in the crosswalk put me in a nasty mood.
I chose Machiavelli (despite my 10% estimated chance of spelling his name correctly) and Kissinger because I wanted to pick some of the bright stars of international relations.
I read Olentzero’s link, and I have to say, though I don’t really agree with Einstein on this one either, it is very worthwhile. Some good points - “Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember that a planned economy is not yet socialism.” (Imagine that on a bumper sticker.) I get all itchy when I hear people equate economic planning or “command economy” with socialism, as if cutting someone open were synonymous with surgery.
It is irrelevant that I am not a socialist. I think the socialists are very educational. John Kenneth Galbraith would have agreed with Einstein when the latter stated, “The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil.”
And yes, you have grasped my point, douglips - international politics are not an easy field. In school, I had more than one colleague from an engineering or scientific field assert that the social scientists were for women and (other?) imbeciles. Then they would explain to me how, all you need to do is cut taxes drastically, and the wealthy would drastically increase their working weeks, radically expanding the economy and making up the difference in revenues. No, the weren’t all Reaganauts (the handfull of individuals in question were all male chauvinist pigs, unfortunately) - I’m just bringing this up to illustrate how easily a scientific-looking piece of garbage like the Laffer Curve can fool even a talented person who is naive about the field.
Did anybody see The Remains of the Day? Remember Christopher Reeve’s character? It was a group of Atlantic isolationists, mostly Britons (can’t remember the actual name of the committee if any), talking about how it would be best to coddle Hitler since he wasn’t such a bad guy. Reeves says something to the effect of (major paraphrase): Gentlemen, you’re all a bunch of well-meaning, highly literate, pillars of society. You are also amateurs.
I haven’t read much of what Einstein has actually written (as opposed to what has percolate into textbooks). The Monthly Review link shows him to be a good writer and a socialist with his eyes open. The rest of history shows him to be the man who cracked open the universe and showed us what was inside, or outside or whatever. I just wish that our sound-bite culture could have the decency to leave some of this stature off their bumper stickers.
The other day I saw the broadside of a building plastered with the words “There Is A Law Higher Than Ourselves” and the Eight (8) Commandments in big letters. Re-written for easy understanding by the semi-literate, e.g., “You should not murder people”. If Christian fundamentalists (I assume the nearby Four-Square Church is responsible) are willing to edit the Bible to slide it more easily down the throats of commuters, I suppose it’s ridiculous to wait for hippies to read about the history of warfare and diplomacy before choosing a quote with which to decorate their smelly Volkswagens.
So, um, did anyone find a more concrete citation for the quote? Not to break the thread of conversation or anything… 
Nah, sorry Mark. All that shows up is that silly Reader’s Digest citation. It’s irritating, really, how many people quote it without a source. You’d think someone would say “In his ground breaking work Things I found in my armpit one midsummer morning, Einstein said…”, but no such luck.
Makes me wonder how many quotes like this are made up entirely.
emarkp -
maybe the “quotes” section from this link can point you in the right direction…
http://www.westegg.com/einstein/
The Quotable Einstein is a good resource for Einstein quotes, since it also has attributions. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have this quote–even though it does have a section on quotes that were attributed to Einstein, but the author couldn’t locate any source. Here are some examples from that section:
“I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I do know how the Fourth will: with sticks and stones.”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
“International law exists only in textbooks on international law.”
Boris B: Did Christopher Reeve ever say anything about relativity? Here are some more Reeve quotes:
“Don’t put a limit on what can be accomplished.”
“What was once thought of as impossible can become improbable and, eventually, inevitable.”
“Bad days are just good days in disguise”
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
“What I realized through these letters is that Superman represents much more than truth, justice, and the American way: he represents hope and friendship.”
I’m now convinced Einstein simply didn’t say this, and that it’s somehow attributed to him. My wife and mother-in-law are both reference librarians, and couldn’t find it in any standard quote books or references. Yet I can find it everywhere (with no citation) on the net. Hence my conclusion. Thanks to those who answered.
emarkp, I always thought this was a quote, not from Einstein, but from some other scientist or physicist. Possible someone who actually worked on the Manhattan Proj., maybe Oppenheimer. Of course, whatever physicist said it, there’s still the discussion of his qualifications for international relations.
panama jack
“The best way to ensure preparation for war is peace and a vegatarian diet.” - A. Einstein
Inspiration! Just knowing that the very existence of hippies annoys crypto-Facist butt-munches! Alas, my smelly old Volkswagen gave up to ghost years ago (might still be here if it weren’t for the Duct Tape Famine of '75!) So, I’ll have to figure some way to put one of those dippy bumper stickers on my bike, as I cruise past you gassing up your Stupid Useless Vehicles. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this shit out. Hell, we did it stoned!
Peace on you. Peace on all of you.
Panamajack, I think you may have the wrong thread. This quote has nothing to do with international relations.
Accused of driving an SUV?! Ouch! Do you have any idea what the Barbecue Pit is for, elucidator?
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“butt-muches”?
Though I agree with the consensus that the cult of celebrity isn’t the best place to get your info but there’s a major point we’re missing here. Einstein is partly responsible for changing the face of full-scale war forever. There’s something to be said about the relationship between giving humanity the means to completely annihilate each other in almost no time and Einstein’s vocal humanism.
Like most people who suddenly find themselves in the lime-light ol’ Albert did his best to milk it, but in a resposible way. I think he certainly went overboard, look at his famous vegetarian quote that comes from the mouth of a meat-eater. Look at his famous distrust of QM for the sole reason it went against his beliefs.
As to simple living, what’s wrong with it? Gass-guzzling SUVs, throw-away products, and the work-spend-sleep lifestyle aren’t everyone’s idea of utopia.
Shoot. I feel like an idiot. Sorry, emark – Iwas thinking of the quote Boris put up on preparing for war/peace. And I responded to you on the hijack.
By way of expiation, I tried to find out more for you on your quote, but with little success. I did find out that according to the book Quotable Quotations by Alan Lewis, the “simple as possible” was used in the April 16, 1979 edition of Newsweek. Perhaps if you find that, you might get a hold of a more reliable source than Readers’ Digest. The only Einstein quote that seems even vaguely similar is this one, according to two sources from the Jan. 9, 1950 edition of Life :
Still, that’s a posthumous citation, so not too helpful. This book also claims that “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” comes from On Science, though other quotes I found cite an interview with AE for the same sentiment in a less concise form.
And I also did a little bit of poking WRT the quote I referred to first (about preparing for war.) It’s possible Einstein said it, he probably would have supported it. From the Notes on Pacifism : “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”
However, the most likely origin of the quote is from a rather obscure source, written in 1949 by Max Lerner, from “On Peacetime Military Training”, in Actions and Passions :
(This and the next quote come from The International Thesaurus of Quotations ed. by R.T. Tripp, publ. Crowell (1970) )
The form that’s usually quoted as Einsteinian is quite similar to a sentiment prob. first expressed in Roman times, by someone whose name I didn’t get, but George Washington delivered a speech in which he said something a lot like, “the most effectual way to secure peace is to prepare for war.”
And,to push the hijack further, I found one other quote commonly attributed to Einstein’s pacifism, the one about how the next war’ll fought and the one after that being fought with sticks & stones. The source I have says that this is arose anonymously during WWII and says “bow & arrow” for “sticks & stones”; the Thesaurus says it’s in Joseph Wood Krutch’s The Measure of Man, 1954.
Two more quotes show what Einstein thought ofnuclear war and the arms race in 1945 :
From the Atlantic Monthly, Nov. 1945 (according to Bartlett’s) :
and also, “As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable.”
So, that’s as much as I got for you today. Next time I’ll pay more attention to the OP.
panama jack
"Gott wuerfelt nicht." – genuine Einstein quote.