It’s all too common to see feel-good quotes misattributed to famous people and making the rounds on social media.
When this alleged Albert Einstein quote crossed my radar once again, I finally decided to do what I do with every “famous dead person” quote that sounds maybe a bit too modern; I looked it up.
Fortunately, Quote Investigator delved into the matter, and from their interesting research, it looks like Einstein probably didn’t say this after all. In short:
“There is no substantive evidence that Einstein made this statement. It does not appear in the comprehensive collection of quotations The Ultimate Quotable Einstein from Princeton University Press.”
and:
“…the long history of fables about animals in schools almost certainly influenced the construction of this quotation. The central point of the fables is that each individual should be allowed to pursue his or her strengths; in addition, a weakness in some area should not induce feelings of debilitating inferiority. These points overlap with the intent of the saying. There is no substantive evidence connecting Einstein to the quotation.”
We may not all be geniuses, but fostering a love for learning is genius.