Insanity is NOT doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results, and this phrase was not uttered by Albert Einstein. This is a misattributed quote, and it is also highly fallible.

Another definition for doing the same thing over and over again is called practicing. In order to progress in our different talents, we have to practice them (over and over again). The more we practice the same thing over and over again, the more likely we are going to be able to do it almost without concentration. This occurs because of our muscle memory. By doing the same thing over and over again, like singing or playing an instrument, the easier it becomes with time. The easier it becomes, the easier it is to build on top of that same skill and increase its complexity.

However, someone misattributed this quote to Albert Einstein. Because of Einstein’s reputable genius, everyone takes this quote to heart and uses it as an excuse to not try to practice obtaining skills they would otherwise want. However, Albert Einstein never said this. It was actually stated by a fictional character named Jane Fulton in a novel called Sudden Death by Rita Mae Brown. Even this fictional character was not as intelligent as Einstein, but once her words were attributed to Einstein, they were considered as wisdom and not questioned.

We need to question every quote that is stated to be said by someone else. This is because people will purposefully or accidentally try to pass off a quote or phrase by someone with a good reputation to make it appear true.

Just because we think a famous or reputable person said a certain phrase, does not necessarily imply that the phrase is infallible. All humans are fallible, so what they say can be fallible unless proven by the scientific method.

Dr. Seuss never said “be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” There is no evidence from any of Dr. Seuss’ writings that he said this, and it has been proven that it was printed by a “Mr. Davies” in a London journal as a response to the criticism for his designs for houses.

Although I think that it is important to be who we are, we should also be mindful that being who we are should not be an excuse to be cruel and think that only those who matter are those who do not care if we are cruel. We should be conscientious of the kind of people we are, and we should not use anything as an excuse to justify bad behavior. We cannot use an excuse as "it is who I am" to justify not acting on our best behavior.

Yet since Dr. Seuss is famous, the words are as highly esteemed as he is. This is because they were misattributed to him.

We should care more about checking validity and sources than merely repeating what famous/reputable people seem to have said.

It is problematic when a publishing journal or publishing source obtains enough consistency and trust to abuse the power to misprint quotes. Just because a source has consistently told the truth in the past, does not mean that source will always tell the truth. Instead of putting blind trust into prestigious publications or people, we could blind trust in our own ability to check validity and sources.

It is important to be objective and look for facts. It may be more comfortable to rely on poor sources for information, but we end up paying a bitter price for it in the end. Let’s not pay a bitter price. Let’s not let power be abused to promote fallible notions that don’t make us any better and stifle our existence. That’s the definition of insanity.

http://www.businessinsider.com/misattributed-quotes-2013-10