Albert Einstein is probably one of the greatest minds alive. He may be well known for the famous mathematical theorems he created however his philosophical mindset was equally admirable. His often unique and meaningful views are evident in his many insightful quotes which people enjoy and still find applicable today. One such quote is the Albert Einstein fish quote.
” Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by it’s ability to climb a tree, it will live it’s whole life believing it is stupid.”
This quote is a personal favorite because it clearly represents the dilemma most people face today. Here are some views on how it can be interpreted:
The symbolism
The Albert Einstein fish quote in simple terms represents people who are constantly trying to excel in things they are not good at. A fish is meant to be a swimmer that is what it was born to do – therefore to judge how capable or smart it is by it’s ability to climb a tree will be a gross misrepresentation of it’s talents. In the same way, people are constantly finding themselves in situations pursuing careers or endeavors that they don’t have a natural inclination for. It therefore emphasizes that everyone should find the one thing that they are great at.
The climbing of the tree represents the generic perception of success i.e what society deems successful; this is usually material wealth and status. Therefore this is often the measure that society uses to judge how successful or intelligent someone is. The quote therefore iterates that if you try to fit everyone into this generic template of success – then there is often going to be cases where a person’s talent gets misjudged. For example an artist selling his paintings on the street may not be the CEO of a major corporate, yet he has reached success as a great painter.
The Albert Einstein fish quote also makes you realize that intelligence is difficult to measure. You can’t consider a famous book editor any less intelligent than a doctor for example. They both have reached success in their fields because they have followed the path of what they are good at. This means that you should find what you are good at and leverage it to your advantage; Don’t swim in the wrong lake.
key takeaways:
- Don’t judge people – intelligence comes in more than one form
- define what success is to you
- swim in the right lake – don’t try to excel in something you are not good at. If you do this, you will be mediocre at best.
To learn how to live life consciously and with a clear perspective; read this ultimate guide: A Mindful Approach To Self Actualization
