6 Famous Successful Scientists And Thinkers Who Failed at First
6 Famous
Successful Scientists And Thinkers Who Failed at First
Not
everyone who’s on top today got there with success after success. More often
than not, those who history best remembers were faced with numerous obstacles
that forced them to work harder and show more determination than others. Next
time you’re feeling down about your failures in college or in a career, keep
these six famous people in mind and remind yourself that sometimes failure is
just the first step towards success.
These
people are often regarded as some of the greatest minds of our century, but
they often had to face great obstacles, the ridicule of their peers and the
animosity of society.
1.
Albert Einstein:
Most of us take Einstein’s name as synonymous with genius, but he didn’t always
show such promise. Einstein did not speak until he was four and did not read
until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally
handicapped, slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from school and
was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken
him a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in
the end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics.
2.
Charles Darwin:
In his early years, Darwin gave up on having a medical career and was often
chastised by his father for being lazy and too dreamy. Darwin himself wrote, “I
was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather
below the common standard of intellect.” Perhaps they judged too soon, as
Darwin today is well-known for his scientific studies.
3.
Robert Goddard:
Goddard today is hailed for his research and experimentation with liquid-fueled
rockets, but during his lifetime his ideas were often rejected and mocked by
his scientific peers who thought they were outrageous and impossible. Today
rockets and space travel don’t seem far-fetched at all, due largely in part to
the work of this scientist who worked against the feelings of the time.
4.
Isaac Newton:
Newton was undoubtedly a genius when it came to math, but he had some failings
early on. He never did particularly well in school and when put in charge of
running the family farm, he failed miserably, so poorly in fact that an uncle
took charge and sent him off to Cambridge where he finally blossomed into the
scholar we know today.
5.
Socrates:
Despite leaving no written records behind, Socrates is regarded as one of the
greatest philosophers of the Classical era. Because of his new ideas, in his
own time he was called “an immoral corrupter of youth” and was sentenced to
death. Socrates didn’t let this stop him and kept right on, teaching up until
he was forced to poison himself.
6.
Robert Sternberg:
This big name in psychology received a C in his first college introductory
psychology class with his teacher telling him that, “there was already a famous
Sternberg in psychology and it was obvious there would not be another.”
Sternberg showed him, however, graduating from Stanford with exceptional
distinction in psychology, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa and eventually
becoming the President of the American Psychological Association.
