Walter Isaacson
Einstein's revolutionary breakthroughs were driven not merely by unparalleled mathematical processing, but by a rebellious non-conformity, visual thought experiments, and an unyielding refusal to accept established scientific authority.
Working in a Swiss patent office shielded Einstein from academic conformity and allowed him to independently publish four world-changing physics papers in a single year.
Instead of starting with complex mathematics, Einstein relied on highly visual thought experiments, such as imagining himself riding alongside a light beam, to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
His special and general theories of relativity shattered the concept of absolute time and space, proving that the speed of light is constant and gravity is the geometric curvature of spacetime.