"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice."
by:
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Physicist and Professor, Nobel Prize 1921
Eat your heart out John Phillip Sousa! lol -- TerryBerg, Occidental, CA
It seems union members are mindless morons. All they need is music to stir them. -- Joe, Rochester, MI
-- Anonymous, Reston, VA US
-- P.M
For Einstein to distain the cheerful readiness of men to serve is hypocritical. Without the soldiers who earned American freedom, he could not have fled to America to avoid death in a concentration camp. Stupid soldiers then left America to go to the Europe he abandoned to eradicate the evil he fled.
It is cool to be smart; it is stupid to disregard the humanity and contribution of those less fortunate.
-- Lynn, Houston
It seems that Lynn has forgotten that Einstein was talking about the Nazis who had a 'cheerful readiness to serve' their 'Fuhrer' putting Jews into ovens. Now American Marines are ready to wipe out Muslims with the same fervor taking no responsibility for the imperialistic policies in the Middle East -- which as we ALL know is quite simply about oil and power. Freedom has got NOTHING to do with it. Washington funded both Sadam and Osama, let there be no doubt about that. Have you read the Iraqi Constitution? It ain't even close to the US version. In it, the government grants rights to citizens, not the People granting limited power to the government. -- Georgia Peach, Savannah
-- ARM, Sarasota
Einstein is here speaking of the collectivists, socialists, communists, fascists, the slaves to a democracy, the mindless helots, and all else that is contemptible, not being of an individualistic sovereign mind. Soldiers serving a lawful, just, free, and liberated people do not fall within the subject quote. -- Mike, Norwalk
Yes we can - yes we can - yes we can...disgusting -- J Carlton, Calgary
Einstein is also speaking of the pied piper and his sweet sounding music that lures our children into his trap. He is also referring to those who don't think for themselves and listen to what their own hearts are telling them 24/7 if they would only choose to listen to that instead of the pied piper. It has and will always be a matter of choice. Einstein might argue with me and stick with his nothing above the spinal cord description and I would agree with him because both our descriptions picture the same situation, brain dead. -- Anon
I took it to mean that everyone should think about a situation and draw their own conclusion. A person that is a "sound board" and mindlessly follows ANY organization doesn't deserve to waste my time with their rhetoric. Even a soldier can voice his/her opinion. I did. -- Cliff, Hobart, IN
-- M. Brown, Florida
-- Anonymous, Reston,VA, US
I agree with Cliff. The joy of team work should not be dinegrated. That does not mean a person cannot also have a private life and a thinking life. How about people who play music in a syphony under the tyrannical baton of a maestro or school and college marching bands. I mean really he should get a life and learn about diverstity which includes marching bands and team work. -- Waffler, Smith
Love it! -- RBESRQ
As the children chant- Barack Obama MM MM MM-Barack Obama MM MM MM-Barack Obama MM MM MM-Barack Obama MM MM MM-Barack Obama MM MM MM-Barack Obama MM MM MM- great education they are getting. -- warren, olathe
It'd be far more decent of E. to aim his critical remarks at America, home to dollar-fascism (and God?) The nazis humbly wrote "Gott mit uns". There is a subtle difference here. Mein Gott! -- Erik, Porsgrunn, Norwegen
Mike from Norwalk: Einstein WAS a socialist himself.
Great quote though :) -- Vegar, Norway
-- TerryBerg, Occidental, CA
-- Lynn, Houston
