A quote by A. Einstein - exact wording in English?

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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."- 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

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[nq:1]I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that: "everybody knows that something can't be ... on numerous quotation pages - please help!

)) I need the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it.[/nq]
Any Einstein quote that doesn't give a source
can safely be assumed to be false,
Jan

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>
>
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.

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[nq:1]Hello, I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that: "everybody knows that something can't ... on numerous quotation pages - please help!

)) I need the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it.[/nq]
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

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[nq:2]Hello, I came across a saying by Einstein that goes ... the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it.[/nq]
[nq:1]There's nothing like it under Einstein in the Quotations section of Bartleby.com. I suspect it's like many other lines that ... know it was impossible when I did it" (and variants) shows up on the Web as simply an anonymous saying.[/nq]
As does 'I didn't know it was anonymous when I made it up'
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply

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[nq:1]Hello, I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that: "everybody knows that something can't ... quotation pages - please help!

)) I need the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it. regards, marek[/nq]
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.

/ ( )

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[nq:1]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." [/nq]
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.

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[nq:1]Could this poem, not by Einstein, be what you're looking for? It Couldn't Be Done Edgar Guest Somebody said that ... he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn't be done, and he did it.[/nq]
(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

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[nq:1]<< (marek) I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that: "everybody knows that something ... question for the original poster: Is it necessary that the quote be by Einstein, or will any English original satisfy?[/nq]
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)

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[nq:2]Could this poem, not by Einstein, be what you're looking ... the thing That couldn't be done, and he did it.[/nq]
[nq:1](snip additional verses) There is, of course, a parody of this. In the first verse it's the same through the ... tackled the thing that couldn't be done, And by golly, he couldn't do it. The rest is much the same.[/nq]
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)

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[nq:1]I came across a saying by Einstein that goes (more or less) like that: "everybody knows that something can't be ... on numerous quotation pages - please help!

)) I need the EXACT wording of the quote, if anyone knows it.[/nq]
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

A quote by A. Einstein - exact wording in English?

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