How to Think Like Einstein

1. Genius Takes Time to Develop

… I developed so slowly that I began to wonder about space and time only when I was already grown up.

Late bloomer. Einstein was not a child prodigy in the conventional sense. He spoke late, was nicknamed "the dopey one," and struggled in some school subjects, even failing a university entrance exam at sixteen. His mathematics professor called him a "lazy dog."

Slow and steady. Despite early academic setbacks and starting his career in a modest patent office job, Einstein's most revolutionary ideas emerged in his mid-twenties. He believed his slow development allowed him to ponder fundamental questions others took for granted. His "miracle year" of 1905, when he published four groundbreaking papers, came four years into his patent office tenure.

Recognition delayed. Even after his annus mirabilis, academic recognition was slow. He didn't get his first junior professorship until 1909, four years after the special theory of relativity, and the Nobel Prize didn't arrive until 1922. His journey shows that profound insights can take time to surface and gain acceptance.

2. Cultivate Passionate Curiosity

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.

Irresistible longing. Einstein believed his scientific work was driven by an "irresistible longing to understand the secrets of nature." This deep-seated curiosity, sparked by a compass at age five, fueled his relentless pursuit of answers to the universe's biggest questions. He was convinced that nature's mysteries had rational, discoverable solutions.

Finding truth by reasoning. By age twelve, he was thrilled by the possibility of finding truths through reasoning alone. He combined a sense of wonder with a belief that the world could be interpreted through simple mathematical structures. This conviction underpinned his intellectual approach throughout his life.

Pleasure of thinking. For Einstein, the process of exploration was often more pleasurable than finding the answer itself. He saw the mainspring of scientific thought not as an external goal, but as the inherent joy of thinking and seeking pure knowledge.

3. Trust Your Intuition and Imagination

All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge, namely, in axioms, from which deductions are then made … Intuition is the necessary condition for the discovery of such axioms.

Intuition as experience. Einstein deeply trusted his intuition, believing it was the necessary condition for discovering fundamental laws. He didn't see intuition as mere guesswork, but as the outcome of accumulated knowledge and intellectual experience, allowing for sudden, intuitive leaps.

Imagination over knowledge. He famously stated that imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited, while imagination encircles the world. This belief allowed him to reconfigure existing knowledge in totally original ways and envision scenarios unseen by others.

Artist of exposition. Einstein possessed the rare gift of being a visionary who could also communicate his complex ideas clearly. His ability to present difficult problems comprehensibly, noted by his students, was crucial in sharing his unique view of the world.

4. Think Visually and Conceptually

The words or the language, as they are written or spoken, do not seem to play any role in my mechanism of thought.

Non-verbal thinking. Einstein primarily thought in "psychical entities" – more or less clear images and muscular sensations – rather than words. He would only later try to express these thoughts in language. This non-verbal process was fundamental to his imaginative leaps.

Seeing equations. He had a unique ability to grasp the physical manifestation of abstract mathematical formulas, seeing equations as concrete realities. Some speculate this might be linked to distinctive features in his parietal lobes, associated with visual and spatial cognition.

Thought experiments. Einstein was a master of the Gedankenexperiment, devising tests purely in his imagination to explore hypotheses. His famous thought experiments, like riding a light beam or the free-falling elevator, were crucial in formulating his theories of relativity by allowing him to visualize complex physical scenarios.

5. Seek Out Intellectual Companions

Not often in my life has a person given me such joy by his presence as you have.

Soulmates and sounding boards. Despite often working alone, Einstein had an uncanny knack for finding intellectual and philosophical soulmates. Figures like Max Talmud, Jost Winteler, Michele Besso, and Marcel Grossmann played vital roles as friends, mentors, and collaborators, providing sounding boards and necessary skills (like Grossmann's math).

The Olympia Academy. His informal "Olympia Academy" with Maurice Solovine and Conrad Habicht was particularly cherished. These meetings, filled with reading, debate, and discussion, were formative for his intellectual development, proving the value of like-minded companionship.

Engaging with opposition. Einstein wasn't afraid to engage deeply with those who held opposing scientific views, most notably Niels Bohr and Max Born. These "ferocious intellectual sparring" sessions, while challenging, led to profound bonds and refined understanding, demonstrating his openness to rigorous questioning.

6. Master the Fundamentals (Do Your Homework)

It was not clear to me as a student that a more profound knowledge of the basic principles of physics was tied up with the most intricate mathematical methods.

Early reliance on talent. As a young student, Einstein sometimes relied too much on his innate abilities, neglecting subjects that didn't immediately capture his interest, like certain areas of mathematics. This led to setbacks, including failing an entrance exam and receiving poor marks in some university courses.

Learning the hard way. His struggles to secure an academic position after graduation, partly due to perceived laxness and strained relationships with professors, highlighted the cost of not mastering all necessary disciplines. He later acknowledged the importance of intricate mathematical methods for deep physics understanding.

Foundational reading. Despite his occasional academic indiscipline, Einstein was a voracious reader of the "masters of theoretical physics" and philosophical works. This self-directed study provided the crucial foundation upon which his revolutionary ideas were built, demonstrating that focused learning, even outside formal structures, is essential.

7. Challenge Authority and Orthodoxy

Long live impudence! It is my guardian angel in this world.

Natural rebelliousness. Einstein possessed a natural streak of rebelliousness and a deep distrust of authority, evident from his dislike of quasi-military schooling and his decision to renounce German citizenship. He believed society's upward development depended on creative personalities who could think and judge independently.

Questioning everything. This anti-authoritarian spirit fueled his scientific work, making him unafraid to challenge centuries-old principles, including Newton's established laws. He admired figures like Galileo who fought against dogma based on authority.

Facing consequences. His refusal to conform sometimes created unnecessary enemies, particularly early in his career, hindering his job prospects. However, as a global figure, his willingness to challenge powerful forces, from Nazis to McCarthyites, became a hallmark of his moral courage.

8. Immerse Yourself Deeply in Your Work

Strenuous intellectual work and looking at God’s nature are the reconciling, fortifying yet relentlessly strict angels that shall lead me through all of life’s troubles.

Dedication and sacrifice. Einstein possessed a formidable work ethic, viewing strenuous intellectual work as a primary source of meaning and a way to navigate life's troubles. He believed that substance in life came from sacrificing oneself for an impersonal goal, often neglecting personal comfort and even meals.

Escape and peace. Work also served as an escape from the "painful crudity and hopeless dreariness" of everyday life and personal difficulties. He found peace and security in contemplating the cosmos, which he couldn't find in the "narrow whirlpool of personal experience."

The lonely pursuit. Einstein saw theoretical science as a lonely, unglamorous business requiring total concentration, ideally suited to a lighthouse keeper. He found the demands of celebrity infuriating because they impinged on the quiet focus necessary for his work.

9. Balance Intense Focus with Unwinding

I have never belonged wholeheartedly to country or state, to my circle of friends, or even to my own family.

Cost of immersion. Einstein's intense dedication to work came at a cost to his personal relationships. While capable of deep friendships, he struggled with the emotional demands of family, acknowledging a "vague aloofness" and aversion to intense emotional attachments.

Finding release. Despite his work intensity, Einstein found crucial outlets for relaxation. He enjoyed pipe smoking for its calming effect and was a passionate sailor, finding tranquility and freedom on the water, often alone. Sailing allowed him to reconnect with nature and himself, away from the pressures of fame and work.

Music as passion. His greatest passion was music, particularly Mozart and Bach, which he saw as reflecting the universe's inner beauty. A competent violinist, he played for joy, in private, and for public causes, often turning to his fiddle when wrestling with difficult scientific problems, finding that music and research were nourished by the same longing.

10. Think Big, Even If You Fail

I’m still working passionately, though most of my intellectual offspring are ending up prematurely in the cemetery of disappointed hopes.

Boundless challenges. Einstein refused to place limits on human knowledge or his own intellectual pursuits. Within two years of the special theory, he was tackling the far more complex general theory, driven by a desire to understand the universe's harmony.

The unified field quest. For the last thirty years of his life, he pursued a unified field theory, aiming to integrate gravity and electromagnetism into a single framework. This ambition was immense, akin to "reading God's mind," and he believed its success would eclipse all his previous work.

Courage in failure. This quest was largely unsuccessful and isolated him from many contemporaries who saw it as outdated folly. Despite repeated setbacks and acknowledging the problems were "quite hopeless," he persevered, feeling a duty to try. His pursuit, though failing to reach its ultimate goal, demonstrated immense intellectual courage and contributed ideas later integrated into modern physics.

11. Engage with the World and Fight for Justice

Striving for social justice is the most valuable thing to do in life," he claimed in 1934.

Political consciousness. Einstein had a strong political awareness from youth, rooted in a distrust of militarism and nationalism. His global fame gave him a platform to advocate for his beliefs, though he saw politics as temporary compared to timeless science.

Justice and freedom. His core political values were social justice and individual freedom, which he saw as essential for societal progress and avoiding "sterility and petrification." He was a staunch defender of civil rights, publicly opposing racism and supporting persecuted individuals.

Moral imperative. The rise of fascism and the horrors of war compelled him to engage more deeply, even adjusting his pacifist stance against Hitler. He believed scientists had a "solemn and transcendent duty" to consider the moral implications of their work, especially after the atomic bomb, acknowledging that science and morality were inextricably linked.

12. Embrace Your Unique Perspective

I am a deeply religious non-believer … this is somewhat a new kind of religion.

Comfort as outsider. Einstein often seemed most comfortable as an outsider, an "incorrigible non-conformist." This stemmed partly from his experience as a Jew in Germany and his natural aversion to being subsumed by groups or institutions.

Unique spirituality. His religious views were complex and personal, rejecting a traditional, interfering God but believing in a "superior reasoning power" revealed in the universe's harmony. He identified with Spinoza's pantheism and found "true religiousness" in awe and wonder at the mysterious, distinguishing himself from assertive atheists.

Beyond national identity. He famously saw himself first and foremost as a human being, rejecting strong attachment to any state or national entity. This perspective, while sometimes seen as politically naive, was a consistent principle born from his distrust of nationalism and his belief in universal humanity.

Last updated: May 3, 2025