When Einstein met Chaplin

[JeffKeryk]

In January 1931, Albert Einstein met Charlie Chaplin at the City of Lights premiere. Prior to this meeting, Einstein had once said that Charlie Chaplin was the only person that he wished to meet someday.

At this meeting, Einstein said to Chaplin: “What I most admire about your art, is your universality. You don’t say a word, yet the world understands you!”.
“It’s true”, replied Chaplin. “But your fame is even greater: the world admires you, when nobody understands what you say."

 

[MRC01]

One of the rare aspects of Einstein is that he was a very geometric and intuitive abstract thinker and nobody explained relativity better than he did himself. In college physics we got this 10 lb. textbook that had a long section on relativity. I and many others in the class were totally confused. The prof couldn't explain it, just showed how to plug into formulas and get the answers without really understanding the questions. One day in desperation I went to the library and by a lucky accident of fate found Einstein's original little book (inexpensive paperback, free from Gutenberg), which explains relativity starting with simple examples involving moving trains. Ga-Zing! Wow! Eureka!

 

[henni]

They’re Cheering Us Both, You Because Nobody Understands You, and Me Because Everybody Understands Me – Quote Investigator®

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