Smart things Einstein said, other than that E-equals bit

I was paging though Einstein for Dummies this week and learned something useful about the famous scientist; he was more than a brilliant physicist. From a very early age, Einstein was a card-carrying member of the Fool's Box.

Dr. Carlos I Calle, who research the book for John Wiley, found a high school French paper by Einstein, in which he wrote, "A happy man is too comfortable with the present to think much about the future." He was advocating the value of dissatisfaction while still in his teens.

Einstein didn't fit in. He clashed with teachers and fellow students. His political views got him in trouble with the German government of the late nineteenth century. Yet, he and Isaac Newton are arguably the two greatest minds in the history of humankind, according to Calle.

Can you imagine how useless Einstein's intellect would have been had he not challenged the status quo; had he not felt compelled to say foolish things and follow foolhardy scientific paths?

Not everyone who resists "the way we've always done it" is going to turn the universe on its ear, but only those who tap out their own rhythm will even have half a chance of making a real difference.

Suggestion: The next time someone makes a statement of "fact" regarding a long-held tradition or assumption, take the opportunity to ask - gently - "why?"