“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”
Albert Einstein
In Focus : The Strange Contract
In 1896, Mileva Marić enrolled for the four year mathematics and physics teaching diploma at ETH Zurich. It was here that she met Einstein and they became close friends. Einstein and Maric married in 1903 and had two sons. In 1914 though, their relationship was experiencing difficulties. It was then that Einstein proposed a unique contract to his wife. Lets have a look at what it said.
Conditions
A. You will make sure:
1. That my clothes and laundry are kept in good order.
2. That I will receive my three meals regularly in my room.
3. That my bedroom and study are kept neat, and especially that my desk is left for my use only.
B. You will renounce all personal relations with me insofar as they are not completely necessary for social reasons. Specifically, you will forego:
1. My sitting at home with you.
2. My going out or traveling with you.
C. You will obey the following points in your relations with me:
1. You will not expect any intimacy from me, nor will you reproach me in anyway.
2. You will stop talking to me if I request it.
3. You will leave my bedroom or study immediately without protest if I request it.
D. You will undertake not to belittle me in front of our children, either through words or behavior.
Mileva Maric had accepted the terms of the contract.