“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

Why it was said

Robert Cialdini opens Influence with this line, which is commonly attributed to Albert Einstein, although it has not been found in Einstein's own writings. Cialdini uses it to frame the book's subject: the mental shortcuts that let us act without weighing everything, and the way those shortcuts are exploited by people who know them.

What it actually means

Shortcuts are necessary; nobody can evaluate every claim from scratch. The danger Cialdini describes is the second half of the sentence: when a shortcut is simpler than the situation, it fires on a fake trigger. A price that signals quality, a crowd that signals safety, a favour that demands return. The book is a catalogue of shortcuts that are usually right and the situations in which they are deliberately made wrong.

How to use it

1. 1When you feel a quick yes forming, name the shortcut: reciprocity, scarcity, social proof, authority, liking, consistency.
2. 2Ask whether the trigger is real or manufactured before acting on it.