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Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

Albert Einstein, LIFE magazine, 1955

Philosophy

The story behind the card

Albert Einstein (1879–1955), the German-born physicist behind the theories of relativity, said this in conversation with William Miller, an editor at LIFE magazine. Miller included it in his tribute to Einstein, printed on 2 May 1955, a fortnight after Einstein's death on 18 April. In the English of the time, ‘man’ in such sentences meant any person. The contrast is a clear one: success is about what a person gains, value about what they give to others.

Türkçe oku
Başarılı bir insan olmaya değil, değerli bir insan olmaya çalış.
Albert Einstein, LIFE dergisi, 1955

Görelilik kuramlarıyla tanınan Alman doğumlu fizikçi Albert Einstein (1879–1955), bu sözü LIFE dergisinin editörlerinden William Miller'la bir sohbetinde söyledi. Miller sözü, Einstein'ın 18 Nisan'daki ölümünden iki hafta sonra, 2 Mayıs 1955'te yayımlanan anma yazısına aldı. İngilizce aslındaki “man” sözcüğü, o dönemin kullanımıyla genel olarak “insan” anlamındadır. Karşıtlık açıktır: Başarı insanın ne kazandığıyla, değer ise başkalarına ne kattığıyla ilgilidir.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Albert Einstein
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