It is said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That is widely misattributed to Einstein, but he never actually said or wrote this. This misattribution has become so pervasive that it’s one of the most common “fake Einstein quotes” circulating online. Einstein scholars and institutions that manage his archives have repeatedly confirmed that there’s no record of him ever making this statement. The quote appears to have emerged decades after Einstein’s death and somehow got attached to his name, likely because people thought it sounded like something a brilliant scientist might say. But Einstein’s actual documented quotes tend to focus on topics like science, education, philosophy, politics, and religion – not pithy definitions of insanity. So while you’ll see this quote attributed to Einstein all over the internet, in motivational posters, and in popular culture, it’s simply not his. It’s a modern misattribution that has taken on a life of its own. The actual origin of this quote is unclear, but it seems to have emerged much later than Einstein’s lifetime. Some sources suggest it may have originated from Narcotics Anonymous literature in the 1980s, though even that connection isn’t definitively established. This is a classic example of how pithy, memorable quotes often get attributed to famous figures like Einstein, Mark Twain, or Winston Churchill, regardless of whether they actually said them.
The word “insanity” actually has different meanings depending on the context. In law, insanity refers to a mental state that prevents a person from understanding the nature of their actions or distinguishing right from wrong at the time of committing a crime. This is used in legal defenses and varies by jurisdiction. The legal standard often involves whether someone could form criminal intent due to severe mental illness. In everyday language, people often use “insanity” to mean extreme foolishness or irrationality, chaotic or frenzied behavior, or something wildly unreasonable like “the insanity of rush hour traffic”. Modern psychiatry and psychology don’t actually use “insanity” as a clinical term. Instead, they use specific diagnostic categories like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, etc. The term “insanity” is considered outdated and imprecise in medical settings because it doesn’t describe any particular condition or symptoms. Historically, “insanity” was used broadly to describe various forms of mental illness, but this usage has fallen out of favor because it was often applied in discriminatory ways and didn’t help with understanding or treating specific conditions. The term persists mainly in legal contexts and popular speech, but it’s not a medical diagnosis you’d encounter in modern psychiatric practice.
Irrationality is often relative, though there are some aspects that might be considered more universal. What seems irrational in one culture may be perfectly logical in another. Religious practices, social customs, decision-making processes, and even basic assumptions about cause and effect can vary dramatically. What one society considers reasonable behavior might appear completely irrational to another. The same behavior can be rational or irrational depending on circumstances. Taking extreme risks might be irrational in normal times but perfectly rational in life-or-death situations. Information available, time constraints, and stakes all affect what constitutes rational decision-making. People have different values, goals, risk tolerances, and life experiences that shape what seems rational to them. Someone prioritizing family time over career advancement isn’t being irrational – they’re just optimizing for different values. However, certain cognitive processes might be more universally rational or irrational. Basic logical reasoning, cause-and-effect thinking, and evidence-based decision-making tend to be valued across cultures, even if applied differently. And then there’s the fact that what seemed rational in the past often appears irrational now as knowledge advances. Medieval medical practices, historical scientific theories, or past social norms can seem completely irrational by today’s standards…not to mention that what we could all do in our youth with the vigor we possessed might well be an irrational act if taken today. The challenge is distinguishing between genuine irrationality (flawed reasoning processes) and simply different but valid approaches to problems based on different values or information.
I am a man of 71 years. My grandfather died at about this age, not from natural causes, but in a car accident not of his own doing. But he was very much an “old man” when he died. He had a solid stature, but moved at a slower pace and looked decidedly aged. My own father died at 70 of a massive heart attack, but he was a long-time smoker who chose to ignore the warning signs. By contrast, my mother, who I clearly more closely resemble genetically than my father, had not even begun the penultimate chapter of her life when at this age. She remarried at age 76 and was only ¾ of the way through her life at that time. I remember about that time walking up Mt. Timpanongas in Utah with her and thinking that it was impressive that she was able to do it, albeit slowly. But these are all only data points in determining what physical or mental capabilities I might have at this age and thereby inform what would be rational or irrational for me to undertake in any given arena.
Two weeks ago I wrote about kicking my own ass on a motorcycle ride into the central section of San Diego County where we rode in 90-97 degree heat for four hours. I specifically remember feeling after the ride that I was wrung out like a dishrag and took 24 hours to recover. One might think that I was properly forewarned that I should be more rational than to ride that long in that sort of heat at my age. But where’s the fun in always being rational? Motorcycling is my primary recreational passion and that is perhaps because I have done it so long that it reminds me of my youth or maybe because the agility it affords someone of my size is so liberating. Whatever the reason, I would paraphrase Rene Descartes by saying, “I ride, therefore I am.” It’s that important to who I am, so I must always push the bounds of rationality when it comes to motorcycles. That said, I am not a total fool and I have little or no interest in ending up as roadkill or heatstroked by the side of the road. Therefore, I am riding again today and plan to do so again next week, but I am adjusting the circumstances just a bit.
Today it is expected to be 90-92 where we are riding, which will be up to the Ortega Highway by Lake Elsinore. To start with, I have moved departure time up by an hour so that most of the ride will be before noon and thus 5-10 degrees cooler. We are also staying closer to the coast, which tends to be 10 degrees cooler than here and a good 15 degrees cooler than the inland empire where we rode last time. I have also modified my riding gear to wear clothing that is designed for hot weather. I will wear Duluth Armachillo pants (the name says it best) and a wicking long-sleeved lightweight shirt that I use on my foreign rides. I also have a new pair of Kizics riding boots that are lighter weight and more aerated. We will see how this new rig does in the heat, but I’m pretty sure I have found a good balance of heat management and protection, erring on the side of better heat management (since I do not plan to taste asphalt…ever). I will hydrate well and often and wear my best pair of Steve McQueen Persol sunglasses.
There has never been any rationality to motorcycle riding in the first place. It has always been and always will be an insane thing to do, but managing the risks of it through experience and thoughtfulness seem to bring it into my realm of rationality. The question for today will be whether going out in the way I have planned into the midday sun with the mad dogs and Englishmen will be an Einsteinian moment of repeating something to the point of making it simply insane in an absolute sense. We will see.