[Ads-l] Quote: If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies. (Attributed to Einstein in 1949)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Recently, Jeremy Corbyn who is the Leader of the Labour Party in
Britain tweeted a quotation attributed to Albert Einstein. Several
individuals asked me to examine the provenance of the statement.

[ref] Tweet, From: Jeremy Corbyn MP @jeremycorbyn (Verified account),
Time: 8:36 AM, Date: February 24, 2016. (Accessed on twitter.com on
February 26, 2016) link [/ref]

https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/702472149001478145

[Begin tweet]
"If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes & shoddy furniture let us
be more ashamed of shabby ideas & shoddy philosophies" Einstein #pmqs
[End tweet]

An electronic search within a digitized version of "The Ultimate
Quotable Einstein" 2010 indicated that the quotation was not present.

[ref] 2010, The Ultimate Quotable Einstein, Edited by Alice Calaprice,
Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. (Verified on paper)
[/ref]

Nevertheless, the saying has been in circulation for many decades, and
it was attributed to Einstein by 1949. Here is the earliest citation I
have located and verified during a preliminary search.

[ref] 1949, Treasury of the Christian faith: An Encyclopedic Handbook
of the Range and Witness of Christianity, Edited by Stanley I. Stuber
and Thomas Curtis Clark, Quote Page 415, Column 1, Published by
Association Press, New York. (Verified with scans; many thanks to
Reformed Theological Seminary Library of Jackson, Mississippi)[/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let
us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies. -- Albert
Einstein
[End excerpt]

No supporting citation for the expression was provided in the above
1949 compilation.

In the 1970s the quotation together with an ascription to Einstein was
printed in several U.S. newspapers. Here are two examples.

[ref] 1974 October 17, Biddeford-Saco Journal, Quotes, Quote Page 4,
Column 2, Biddeford, Maine. (Newspapers_com)

[Begin excerpt]
If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let
us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies. -- Albert
Einstein.
[End excerpt]


[ref] 1974 November 10, The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Editorials:
Famous Americans of Past, Today's Leaders Join in Endorsing Increased
Productivity, Quote Page 4, Column 1, Ogden, Utah.
(Newspapers_com)[/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
"If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture let
us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies." -- A.
Einstein.
[End excerpt]

The quotation was published in a 1997 compilation from "Reader's Digest".

[ref] 1997, Reader's Digest Quotable Quotes: Wit and Wisdom for All
Occasions, Section: Civilization's Gift, Quote Page 134, Column 2,
Published by Reader's Digest Association, Pleasantville, New York.
(Verified on paper)[/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let
us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies.
-- ALBERT EINSTEIN
[End except]

Some volumes in Google Books also appear to contain a German version
of the saying. The following seems to be in a volume with a GB date of
2002. But the text is not visible in the 2002 snippet. It is visible
in a 2009 snippet:

[Begin extracted text]
Wenn die meisten sich schon armseliger Kleider und Möbel schämen, wie
viel mehr sollten wir uns da erst armseliger Ideen und
Weltanschauungen schämen. Albert Einstein
[End extracted text]

Of course, 2002 and 2009 are very late dates, and the German
statements may have been derived directly or indirectly from the
English statements in circulation.

This post presents a snapshot of the most interesting citations found
during a preliminary search. Currently, I think the evidence is not
strong enough to support an ascription of Einstein who died in 1955.
The words were linked to Einstein while he was still alive. But the
citation did not point to his writings, and it did not point to an
interview.

Additional citations and information would be welcome.

Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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