EINSTEIN QUOTE -- IS THIS WHAT HE MEANT?

One thing that it ain't, is a guess!
It is a predictor of what it can cause
It can be tested for veracity

WHAT IS A THEORY?

The logic of a theory must stem from an inner coherence, not because
external evidence makes it the most logical over other theories.  
(Albert Einstein, as quoted in "Jews, God and History" by Max I. Dimont.  Published by Signet Classics, 2004) 

You know, I have been so busy and so occupied and pre-occupied in the past several weeks that I am wondering where the beginning is and where the end is.  It is like the cat and the ball of twine.  The cat sees the ball and often doesn't see the end, so it just goes from side to side and he doesn't make any progress.  That's probably why the ouse is at such a disadvantage.  The cat knows where the mouse begins and where the mouse ends.  That's good for the cat.  Not so good for the mouse.

When it comes to hypotheses and theories, it's this way.  A hypothesis is like a ball of twine.  A theory is a mouse.  It actually gets us somewhere.

How many times have you heard someone say, "I don't believe that, it's just a theory."  [No it's not.  It's a mouse.] I know, you can't count how many of them you have because it is such a common comment. It is so tempting to push a reality aside because it's just a theory.  It is so tempting that we miss a good chunk of life letting certain valuable facts lie outside of our intellectual asset bank.  If it weren't for theories we would not know a lot of what we know. [If it weren't for mice, would we have cats?] Furthermore, we would not have the ability to gauge our degree of safety as we went along our daily lives.
Much of our lives are lived in the theories of probability as measured by mathematical theorems.  So, when we drive an auto or walk down the street, we count on the fact that our safety is assured because the chances of our being destroyed are minimal compared to our chances of getting back home in one piece. [not so for the mouse]  It's a good thing that those statistics are a theory that works.
Medicine is one of those theory-filled facets of our lives. [Hmmm, so many theories, in fact, that I think of it as a ball of twine]  Think of it a little bit. We all know that certain practices can harm us.  But experience shows us that if we are observant we can actualize the harmful practices to a certain degree and still survive quite nicely, thank you.  We know that the theory is righter than not, so we know how to measure our pleasureful actions so that we stay protected by the truths contained in the theory.
You see, theories are not guesses.  Theories are conclusions.

Actually, I like Einstein's thought.  I think that it is fitting for it to come from a close relative of the Creator.  The thoughts and inspirations that generate inside of us, through our intangible spiritual side are what drive us forward to catch the wily mouse.  That is the part of us that gives our life value.  It is the inner fire that we have that drives us along the correct path toward our happy ending.  

We make so many vain guesses in life that lead us nowhere.  So many times those are made because the wrong raw material went into their making.  The next time we have a hypothesis about our life, let's use the material that we have on the inside to clear the path and enlighten the goal so that we come up with a solid theory about where it is that we are headed and how we are going to get there.

In short, we need to catch more and fatter mice...by finding the way to get that done.