Aphorisms that sound great, but to whom we have forgotten proper attribution, often get pinned on great people who did not say them.
Einstein’s journals featuring comments on his first tour of Japan, in 1922 – Morgan Library via The New Yorker
It’s a common problem. But I think everyone should strive to accurately cite quotations.
Occasionally the misattribution takes on added significance because of the reputation of the person to whom it is misattributed. This becomes a larger problem, because it often dragoons the reputation of some great person into a service they would not intend.
In the masthead of Climate Change Dispatch (“because the debate is not over”) we find this quotation, design to puncture the bubble arrogance surrounding all those climate scientists, I suppose:
“The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance.”
—Albert Einstein
You know where I’m going with this. Einstein didn’t say it, so far as I can find.
I can’t find any source older than about 2000 that even has the quote. Most attribute it to Einstein. It does not appear in any halfway scholarly collection of Einstein quotes, however. It’s not at the WikiQuotes site. It’s not in any of my three editions of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations.
Just to check such claims, I ordered The Ultimate Quotable Einstein (collected and edited by Alice Calaprice) from Princeton University Press. Alas, they had exhausted their stock. When my favorite Border’s Books was closing out, I found the book in the reference section.
The quote does not appear in any form in The Ultimate Quotable Einstein, that I have found.
Keepers of the Climate Change Dispatch site said the quote came from a book about Einstein read years ago, but now forgotten. (Yes, I asked.)
I suppose it’s possible there is another, much over-looked source for the quote out there. If you can find it, please let me know.
But for the immediate future, I would advise you to put the quote attributed to Einstien on your “no-he-didn’t-say-it” list.
One more example of how people attribute aphorisms to famous people, and as used to poke at climate scientists, another example of our getting into trouble, not because of what we don’t know, but because of what we know that just is not true.
Ironic, too. It’s not that the current purveyors don’t know about the quote or about Einstein, but that they are arrogantly insisting on the veracity of a false quote.
I wonder if the masthead there will ever change.
Update: Climate Change Dispatch is every bit as reprobate on science and policy, but they’ve dropped the quote falsely attributed to Einstein, at least as of August 2021.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
They spelled my name wrong, but at least they tried to check the facts.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.news18.com/amp/news/buzz/rahul-gandhi-used-albert-einsteins-quote-on-arrogance-but-did-the-scientist-really-say-that-2672357.html
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[…] blogger named Ed Darrel wrote eight years ago that he could not even find a single source older than 2000 which suggested […]
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[…] blogger named Ed Darrel wrote eight years ago that he could not even find a single source older than 2000 which suggested […]
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I notice that the so-called “quote attributed to Einstein” still appears at the top of their pages, where I recently found an egregious piece of misinformation, republished from Nova’s website, attributed to one Jinan Cao. Evidently, running Climate Change Dispatch means never having to admit you’re wrong.
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From: http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/dr-jeff-masters-were-seeing-most-extr
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I think it sounds a lot like Keynes, actually. It’s ironic if denialists use it, because they haven’t changed any of their cant in years, really.
WikiQuote, which is a lot more accurate than people like to pretend, has this citation:
Are you not finding that quote there?
It could be fun trying to track this one down. Thanks, Rohan.
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Speaking of climate denialists, I notice they seem to be particularly fond of that quote attributed to John Maynard Keynes: “When the facts change, I change my opinion. What do you do, sir?”
It’s annoying for two reasons: one is its irritating sarcasm. The other is that there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that Keynes actually said it.
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TO quote Ed:
despite official opposition from Gov. Rick Perry, who appears to have difficulty with most science ideas.
Rick perry has difficulty with ideas period..science or not.
I never thought Texas would elect someone that made George W Bush look like an bloody genius. But there he is.
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I notice that the surveys of scientists include a denialist organization’s survey of state climatologists. Most of the state climatologists have a political appointment through the governor of the state.
To that extent, the bravery of some of these people is astonishing. The Texas State Climatologist has consistently pushed hard science, despite official opposition from Gov. Rick Perry, who appears to have difficulty with most science ideas.
Most importantly, look at stuff like Naomi Oreskes survey of published peer-reviewed literature. That’s where science is chronicled.
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“No doubt Einstein would have said it about proponents of climate change if he’d only had a chance.”
Not likely, and quite the opposite if at all.
“This world is a strange madhouse. Currently, every coachman and every waiter is debating whether relativity theory is correct. Belief in this matter depends on political party affiliation.”
— Einstein in a letter to Grossmann, 1921.
* Surveys of scientists’ views on climate change
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Detente?
While we’re all getting along, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and/or happy holiday. You too, Ed. Cheers.
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My thanks, too, Morgan!
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Thanks, Morgan!
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It did. Okay, so that’s how you do it.
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<sarc> </sarc>
Use
< for the <
> for the >
Hope this comes out right.
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You’re trying to put a tag, “sarcasm,” in a post here! Got it.
Yeah, I’ve had that difficulty, too. I wonder what the machines actually read.
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It did it again.
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I think WordPress mistook my fake sarcasm tag for an illegal tag. I wrote , but without the spaces.
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No rush to judgment here, for the benefit of the blog’s defenders.
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Any explanation? WordPress is policing sarcasm now?
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But for the immediate future, I would advise you to put the quote attributed to Einstien on your “no-he-didn’t-say-it” list.
WHAT?? That’s all it takes?
Just to be clear, I would bet some money that you’re right. I recognize you’ve put some time into researching, and my experience has shown when the search gets this involved and there’s still no solid citation found, as a general rule you’re going to remain frustrated for quite awhile and you’re probably looking for a snipe. B-u-u-u-t…I said “some” money. Not much. All rules have exceptions, including this one.
I’m really surprised. The great urban-legend-debunking-site Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub lacks the obvious categorization of “maybe maybe not, we still can’t find it”? So you go looking as long as you feel like it…and then just presume it’s fictional and call it a day?
That would mean all your previous debunkings have to be called into question.
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By the way, WordPress stripped my “sarcasm” tag.
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No doubt Einstein would have said it about proponents of climate change if he’d only had a chance.
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