Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish

Albert Einstein? Amos Dolbear? Matthew Kelly?

Who said if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree

Fish climbing a tree quote origin

Who said everyone is a genius quote

Albert einstein everybody is a genius quote meaning

Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree meaning

Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: The following saying is popular on Facebook where it is credited to Albert Einstein. I have also seen it on numerous websites:

Everyone is a genius.

But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

Sometimes “everybody” is used instead of “everyone”. Did Einstein really say this?

Reply from Quote Investigator: There is no substantive evidence that Einstein made this statement.

It does not appear in the comprehensive collection of quotations “The Ultimate Quotable Einstein” from Princeton University Press.¹

The earliest evidence of a close match known to QI appeared in 2004, and that is decades after the death of Einstein in 1955.

The self-help book “The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose” by Matthew Kelly contained a chapter titled “Everybody is a Genius” which began: