Paraphasing Simplicity

Albert Einstein is often credited with saying “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler”. However, in researching the quote on Wikiquote, I discovered the full quote is actually:

The supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.

I think it’s funny that the canonical quote on simplicity is actually a simplified version of a significantly more verbose quote.

This entry was posted by DevHawk on July 6, 2006. It was tagged Humor.

Comments:

I have read this quote several times, also as attributed to Albert Einstein. "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." I think this basically covers the same idea. How often do we try and make a solution more complicated so that we can seem smarter than we really are?
This comment was posted by Dale Churchward on July 10, 2006 at 3:33 PM.
My whole life I lived by the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) but I never realized it had some basis in Einstein! Whoa! Still, when dealing with extreeme stress, or big jobs, it is important to remember to stick to the basics, ahev any extra steps that you can and cut out the grandious, in other words, keep it simple, and life is so much more pleasant.....I LOVE the quote from Dale Churchward...how I wish the more people could live by that motto...I want Tee shirts made of it I am so impressed!
This comment was posted by Julianne on July 26, 2006 at 2:00 PM.
Apparently, the "any intelligent fool" quote actually is from Ernst F Schumacher.
This comment was posted by DevHawk on July 27, 2006 at 1:33 PM.

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