You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- True understanding is shown when you can simplify a concept for anyone.
- In plain terms
- You only get something if you can explain it simply.
- What can you take from it?
- Simplify to test your understanding.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can you explain your work simply?
- What stops you from simplifying?
Another view
Some complex ideas may not be fully simplifiable without losing essential meaning.
More from Albert Einstein
There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there.
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