The hardest thing in the world to understand is income taxes (attrib Albert Einstein Feb 22 1963)

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:12 PM -0500 2/27/11, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>The hardest thing in the world to understand is income taxes.
>
>The Yale Book of Quotations lists a version of this saying with
>slightly different phrasing (YBQ has "is the income tax") attributed
>to Einstein in the Wall Street Journal in 1971. I did not see anything
>relevant in the ADS archive or Barry Popik's website.
>
>In preparation for April 15th I decided to investigate. Below is a
>letter to Time magazine that I suspect is the origin of the quote:
>
>Letters: Feb. 22, 1963
>
>Einstein on Taxes
>
>Sir: I was interested in the article on taxes [Feb. 1] in which it was
>pointed out that "the late great Albert Einstein once admitted that
>figuring out his U.S. income tax was beyond him--he had to go to a tax
>consultant. 'This is too difficult for a mathematician,' said
>Einstein. 'It takes a philosopher.' "
>
>  >From the time Professor Einstein came to this country until his death,
>I prepared his income tax returns and advised him on his tax problems.
>However, contrary to the statement that you quote, at no time did he
>allude to me as a philosopher.
>
>One year while I was at his Princeton home preparing his return, Mrs.
>Einstein, who was then still living, asked me to stay for lunch.
>During the course of the meal, the professor turned to me and with his
>inimitable chuckle said: "The hardest thing in the world to understand
>is income taxes." I replied: "There is one thing more difficult, and
>that is your theory of relativity." "Oh, no," he replied, ''that is
>easy." To which Mrs. Einstein commented, "Yes, for you." LEO
>MATTERSDORF New York City

Very nice--proving it's clearly all relative.  (I wish I knew whether
her comment supported her husbsand's General or Special Theory.)

LH

>
>http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,827992,00.html
>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827992,00.html
>
>Garson
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org