a quote by A. Einstein - exact wording in English?
19...@berdyczow.com
I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that:
"everybody knows that something can't be done and then somebody turns up and
he doesn't know it can't be done and he does it."
- since this is a translation from Polish, that was translated from English
(or from German) and I can NOT find anything bearing any resemblance on
numerous quotation pages - please help! :)))
I need the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it.
regards,
marek
J. J. Lodder
Any Einstein quote that doesn't give a source
can safely be assumed to be false,
Jan
Richard Maurer
I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that:
"everybody knows that something can't be done and then somebody turns up and
he doesn't know it can't be done and he does it."
- since this is a translation from Polish, that was translated from English
(or from German) and I can NOT find anything bearing any resemblance on
numerous quotation pages - please help! :)))
I need the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it.
[end quote] >>
<< [J. J. Lodder]
Any Einstein quote that doesn't give a source
can safely be assumed to be false,
[end quote] >>
Thus a question for the original poster:
Is it necessary that the quote be by Einstein,
or will any English original satisfy?
-- ---------------------------------------------
Richard Maurer To reply, remove half
Sunnyvale, California of a homonym of a synonym for also.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Donna Richoux
There's nothing like it under Einstein in the Quotations section of
Bartleby.com. I suspect it's like many other lines that are
misattributed to Lincoln or Churchill or Twain. These things just attach
themselves to celebrated names.
"I didn't know it was impossible when I did it" (and variants) shows up
on the Web as simply an anonymous saying.
--
Best -- Donna Richoux
John Dean
As does 'I didn't know it was anonymous when I made it up'
--
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply
Peter Morris
"ma...@ck.tk" <19...@berdyczow.com> wrote in message
news:KDzob.3088$lm1....@wards.force9.net...
This is probably what you're thinking of.
see: http://www.skeptic.com/jr5-11.html
Oftenwhen this story is told, the problems are ones that 'Einstein was
unable to solve'
but I doubt it.
If we look at :
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Dantzig_George.ht
ml
Dantzig himself does not mention Einstein.
I'm not sure if Einstein was involved in statistical research, I doubt he
ever
tried to solve those problems.
----------------------
Or, you might be thinking of the short and annonymous poem that goes:
They told me that it couldn't be done.
I laughed and went right to it.
I attempted the thing that couldn't be done.
Of course, I could not do it.
HTH.
--
_______________________
/_____________________(_)
| _____________________ email to
| | |__________________(_) Peter_Morris_1 at
| |/____________________ btinternet dot com
|_____________________(_)
Shakib Otaqui
"ma...@ck.tk" <19...@berdyczow.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that:
> "everybody knows that something can't be done and then somebody turns up and
> he doesn't know it can't be done and he does it."
> [...]
Could this poem, not by Einstein, be what you're looking for?
It Couldn't Be Done
Edgar Guest
Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.
Robert Lieblich
[ ... ]
> Could this poem, not by Einstein, be what you're looking for?
>
> It Couldn't Be Done
> Edgar Guest
>
> Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
> But he with a chuckle replied
> That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
> Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
> So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
> On his face. If he worried he hid it.
> He started to sing as he tackled the thing
> That couldn't be done, and he did it.
[snip additional verses]
There is, of course, a parody of this. In the first verse it's the
same through the first five lines but ends
On his face. With a will he turned to it.
He tackled the thing that couldn't be done,
And by golly, he couldn't do it.
The rest is much the same.
--
Bob Lieblich
The story of my life
J. J. Lodder
> << [marek]
> I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that:
> "everybody knows that something can't be done and then somebody turns up and
> he doesn't know it can't be done and he does it."
>
> - since this is a translation from Polish, that was translated from English
> (or from German) and I can NOT find anything bearing any resemblance on
> numerous quotation pages - please help! :)))
> I need the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it.
> [end quote] >>
>
>
>
> << [J. J. Lodder]
> Any Einstein quote that doesn't give a source
> can safely be assumed to be false,
> [end quote] >>
>
>
>
>
> Thus a question for the original poster:
> Is it necessary that the quote be by Einstein,
> or will any English original satisfy?
His own second hand will do.
Just enclose it in "" write (A. Einstein) behind it,
and you are as good as everybody else.
See? It is really easy.
Jan
--
"Everybody knows that something can't be done and then somebody turns up
and he doesn't know it can't be done and he does it." (A. Einstein)
Dena Jo
I learned a much shorter version of the whole thing:
They told him it couldn't be done.
With a smile he went right to it.
He tackled the thing that *couldn't be done*...
... and he couldn't do it.
The scare quotes, of course, are mine.
--
Dena Jo
Always in rewrite mode
(Email: Replace TPUBGTH with denajo2)
Adrian Bailey
Search on Google using a string of three or four words, eg. "everybody knows
that" and you'll find it, I'm sure. I'm also sure it's _not_ "a saying by
Einstein".
Adrian
19...@berdyczow.com
It was a rush translation job starting with a quote. It was claimed to be by
Einstein, hence the title of my post. I obviously looked up all Einstein
quote pages, other quote pages and any reasonable variations of the line via
google. I only found one site and it didn't provide any clues as to who the
author was. It had to do anyway.
marek
Jan
Evan Kirshenbaum
> Could this poem, not by Einstein, be what you're looking for?
>
> It Couldn't Be Done
> Edgar Guest
>
> Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
> But he with a chuckle replied
> That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
> Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
> So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
> On his face. If he worried he hid it.
> He started to sing as he tackled the thing
> That couldn't be done, and he did it.
I like Benny Hill's take,
They said that it could not be done,
He said "Just let me try."
They said, "Other men have tried and failed,"
He answered, "But not I."
They said, "It is impossible,"
He said, "There's no such word."
He closed his mind, he closed his heart...
To everything he heard.
He said, "Within the heart of man,
There is a tiny seed.
It grows until it blossoms,
It's called the will to succeed.
Its roots are strength, its stem is hope,
Its petals inspiration,
Its thorns protect its strong green leaves,
With grim determination.
"Its stamens are its skills
Which help to shape each plan,
For there's nothing in the universe
Beyond the scope of man."
They thought that it could not be done,
Some even said they knew it,
But he faced up to what could not be done...
And he couldn't bloody do it!
http://www.monologues.co.uk/BennyHill10.htm
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
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Jerry Friedman