In his biography, Einstein by Walter Isaacson, the man behind the theory of general relativity is revealed to be a charming character who dealt with many adversities such as having his home raided by Nazis, a romance with a Russian spy, and being recommended against entering America by J. Edgar Hoover. As an undergraduate majoring in physics, I read this novel hoping to find some inspiration and principles to apply in my own life. I will detail them here in the hopes that it will help others find motivating principles for any field of work, not just physics. Each principle is marked by several examples in Einstein’s life and sometimes supplemented with my own. After reading these anecdotes from Einstein’s life, you will find that there’s a lot more to his story than simply being a genius. Let’s start with an important one.
1. Your circumstances don’t define you.
Einstein was a late talker and had a mild case of echolalia, a condition discerned by consistent repetition of words. He was known while growing up to repeat a sentence under his breath many times before deciding it sounded right and then saying it out loud. This earned him the nickname “der Depperte” which translates to “the dopey one” by the family’s maid. Einstein went on to revolutionize the field of physics, so clearly, these conditions didn’t impede his ability…
