Henry Eyring was a noteworthy chemist and professor at Princeton University in the 1930s and 1940s. He was named a member of the National Science Board by President John F. Kennedy. He served as president of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson presented him with the National Medal of Science.

At Princeton, Eyring was a colleague of Albert Einstein, who was by that time known throughout the world. Th e two men were on friendly terms and spent time together.

According to colleagues and Eyring’s biography, on one occasion he walked with Einstein through what had been a rose garden but was then planted with a field crop. Eyring plucked a sprig and asked Einstein if he could identify the type of plant. Einstein looked at the small leaves and responded that he did not know what plant it was. They walked further and found a gardener. When the gardener was asked, he responded that it was soybeans. Thereafter, Eyring was happy to point out, with levity, that Professor Albert Einstein “didn’t know beans.”

Eyring didn’t need to poke fun at Einstein to elevate his own stature. He was, by all accounts, kind and well accomplished. But finding a vulnerability in one of the world’s great thinkers was simply too fun to leave alone. He mentioned that experience repeatedly.

Eventually, someone will suggest that you, the expert, don’t know beans. If you practice in your specialty long enough, you will meet a nemesis who will find your faults. When this happens, remember Einstein. Take confidence in your knowledge and skill. Some of the greatest experts in history didn’t know beans. You are in good company.