Variously attributed also to Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. The earliest known occurrence, and probable origin, is from a 1981 text from Narcotics Anonymous: "Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results." Cf.
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The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
— Albert Einstein
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." in the context of "Variously attributed also to Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. The earliest known occurrence, and probable origin, is from a 1981 text from Narcotics Anonymous: "Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results." Cf." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Albert Einstein" (Misattributed: Misattributed quotations for Einstein are very common.Dickinson, Kevin (2024-10-28), Einstein didn’t say that: How viral misquotes evolve and replicate, publisher: Big Think, retrieved: 2024-11-02)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 08, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a Jewish German theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time. Einstein is known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. Together, relativity and quantum mechanics are the two pillars of modern physics. He won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
About Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a Jewish German theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time. Einstein is known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. Together, relativity and quantum mechanics are the two pillars of modern physics. He won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
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