Spoiler
[...] and I think (like you, by the way) that theory cannot be fabricated out of the results of observation, but that it can only be invented. \n[Letter to Karl Popper; 11 Sep 1939]”
[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion.”
[The golden proportion] is a scale of proportions which makes the bad difficult [to produce] and the good easy.”
¡Triste época la nuestra! Es más fácil desintegrar un átomo que un prejuicio.”
¿Cómo debe comportarse el hombre si el Estado lo obliga a ciertas acciones que su conciencia considera injustas? La respuesta es fácil: dependes por completo de la sociedad en que vives. No tienes responsabilidad por esas acciones, cumplidas bajo coacción irresistible.”
¿Por qué debe temblar cada persona y cada país por la existencia de un país hostil? Porque cada uno busca su beneficio del momento, sin subordinarlo a la prosperidad y al bienestar de la comunidad. En todas partes se busca el camino hacia una existencia feliz y alegre por encima de la renuncia y la autolimitación.”
… there are no arbitrary constants ... nature is so constituted that it is possible logically to lay down such strongly determined laws that within these laws only rationally determined constants occur (not constants, therefore, whose numerical value could be changed without destroying the theory).”
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.”
A conviction akin to religious feeling of the rationality or intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a high order.”
A desk, some pads, a pencil, and a large basket -- to hold all of mu mistakes.”
A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth.”
A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.”
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.”
A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man.”
A large part of our attitude toward things is conditioned by opinions and emotions which we unconsciously absorb as children from our environment. In other words, it is tradition—besides inherited aptitudes and qualities—which makes us what we are. We but rarely reflect how relatively small as compared with the powerfu... \nSee more” \n, Essays in Humanism
A life directed chiefly toward the fulfillment of personal desires will sooner or later always lead to bitter disappointment.”
a man can do as he will, but not will as he will,”
A man must learn to understand the motives of human beings, their illusions, and their sufferings.”
A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.”
A man's actions are determined by necessity, external and internal.”
A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hopes of reward after death.”
A man's ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.”
A man's value to the community depends primarily on how far his feelings, thoughts, and actions are directed towards promoting the good of his fellows.”
A new idea comes suddenly and in a rather intuitive way, but intuition is nothing but the outcome of earlier intellectual experience.”
A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels.”
A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem.”
A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.”
A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them. But as people live on, they change completely. That is why I think a photograph can be kind.”
A practical profession is a salvation for a man of my type; an academic career compels a young man to scientific production and only strong characters can resist the temptation of superficial analysis.”
A problem can't be solved with the same level of thinking that created it.”
A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?”
A serious-minded man enjoys a good laugh now and then.”
A society's competitive advantage will come not from how well its schools teach the multiplication and periodic tables, but from how well they stimulate imagination and creativity.”
A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?”
A theory is more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises, the more different are the kinds of things it relates, and the more extended its range of applicability.”
A theory is something nobody believes, except the person who made it. An experiment is something everybody believes, except the person who made it.”
A true genius admits that he/she knows nothing.”
A un hombre interiormente libre, y escrupuloso, se le puede destruir, pero no se puede hacer de él ni un esclavo ni una herramienta ciega.”
ACADEMIC CHAIRS ARE MANY, but wise and noble teachers are few; lecture-rooms are numerous and large, but the number of young people who genuinely thirst after truth and justice is small.”
Adversity introduces a man to himself.”
After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are artists as well. Remark”
Aku takut suatu hari teknologi akan melampaui interaksi manusia. Dunia akan memiliki generasi idiot”
Albert Einstein believes in humanity, in a peaceful world of mutual helpfulness, and in the high mission of science.”
Albert Einstein quotes (showing 61-90 of 1,049)
All generalizations are false, including this one.”
All of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking.”
All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.”
All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike—and yet it is the most precious thing we have.”
All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom." [Moral Decay (first published 1937)]” , Out of My Later Years: The Scientist, Philosopher, and Man Portrayed Through His Own Words
Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my awareness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has prevented me from feelings of isolation.”
Although I have been prevented by outward circumstances from observing a strictly vegetarian diet, I have long been an adherent to the cause in principle. Besides agreeing with the aims of vegetarianism for aesthetic and moral reasons, it is my view that a vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”
Always do what's right; this will gratify some and astonish the rest”
America is a large country and its people have so far not shown much interest in great international problems, among which the problem of disarmament occupies first place today. This must be changed, if only in America’s own interest. The last war has shown that there are no longer any barriers between the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven. The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round.”
An autocratic system of coercion, in my opinion soon degenerates. For force always attract men of low morality.”
An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.”
An observer who is sitting eccentrically on the disc K' is sensible of a force which acts outwards in a radial direction, and which would be interpreted as an effect of inertia (centrifugal force) by an observer who was at rest with respect to the original reference-body K. But the observer on the disc may regard his disc as a reference body which is at rest”; on the basis of the general principle of relativity he is justified in doing this. The force acting on himself, and in fact on all other bodies which are at rest relative to the disc, he regards as the effect of a gravitational field.” \n, Relativity: The Special and General Theory w/Figures & Formulas
And yet so high, in spite of everything, is my opinion of the human race that I believe this bogey would have disappeared long ago, had the sound sense of the nations not been systematically corrupted by commercial and political interests acting through the schools and the Press.”
Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools.”
Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”
Any society which does not insist upon respect for all life must necessarily decay.”
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.”
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
artificial intellegance is no match for natural stupidity”
As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene . . . . No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot. \n(Quote taken from What Life Means to Einstein,” The Saturday Evening Post, October 26, 1929.)”
As a child I received instruction in both the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”
As far as I'm concerned, I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue.”
As far as our propositions are certain, they do not say anything about reality, and as far as they do say anything about reality, they are not certain" \nAlbert Einstein (as cited in Schumpeter, 1991)”
As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.”
As long as armies exist, any serious quarrel will lead to war.”
As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable.”
As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”
As the area of light expands, so does the perimeter of darkness.”
At least once a day, allow yourself the freedom to think and dream for yourself.”
attributed, attributed-to-einstein-no-source, unsourced
Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living.”
be a voice not an echo”
be the best loved who have contributed most to”
Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children.”
Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.”
bêtise-humaine, einstein, french, humour, infini, philosophie, science, universe
between what the worker produces and what he is paid, both measured in terms of real value. Insofar as the labor contract is "free," what the worker receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he
Beware of flatterers, especially when they come preaching hatred.”
Beyond the realms of what we see, into the regions or the unexplored limited only by our imaginations.”
Black holes are where God divided by zero.”
Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”
Brief is this existence, as a visit in a strange house. The path to be pursued is poorly lit by a flickering consciousness.”
Bureaucracy is the death of all sound work.”
But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason. I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
But the scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation. The future, to him, is every whit as necessary and determined as the past. There is nothing divine about morality; it is a purely human affair. His religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. This feeling is the guiding principle of his life and work, in so far as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire. It is beyond question closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages.”
But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people--first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy.”
Certain it is that a conviction, akin to religious feeling, of the rationality or intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a higher order.... This firm belief, a belief bound up with deep feeling, in a superior mind that reveals itself in the world of experience, represents my conception of God.”
Children don’t heed the life experiences of their parents, and nations ignore history. Bad lessons always have to be learned anew. ”
Ciertos tipos de transigencia son crímenes contra la humanidad, aunque se quiera presentárnoslos como pruebas de sabiduría política.”
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.”
Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous.”
Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.”
Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”
Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it. The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in the world of thought. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole. The beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the Psalms of David and in some of the Prophets. Buddhism, as we have learned especially from the wonderful writings of Schopenhauer, contains a much stronger element of this.”
Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.”
Communities tend to be guided less than individuals by conscience and a sense of responsibility. How much misery does this fact cause mankind! It is the source of wars and every kind of oppression, which fill the earth with pain, sighs and bitterness.”
Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”
Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.”
Concepts that have proven useful in ordering things easily achieve such an authority over us that we forget their earthly origins and accept them as unalterable givens. Thus they come to be stamped as necessities of thought”, a priori givens”, etc. The path of scientific advance is often made impassable for a long time through such errors. For that reason, it is by no means an idle game if we become practiced in analyzing the long commonplace concepts and exhibiting those circumstances upon which their justification and usefulness depend, how they have grown up, individually, out of the givens of experience. By this means, their all-too-great authority will be broken. They will be removed if they cannot be properly legitimated, corrected if their correlation with given things be far too superfluous, replaced by others if a new system can be established that we prefer for whatever reason.”
Concepts that have proven useful in ordering things easily achieve such authority over us that we forget their earthly origins and accept them as unalterable givens.”
Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”
Concern for man himself and his fate must always constitute the chief objective of all technological endeavors...in order that the creations of our mind shall be a blessing and not a curse to mankind. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”
Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There is no matter.”
Condemnation before investigation, is the highest form of ignorance.”
Conviction is a good motive, but a bad judge.”
Creating a new theory is not like destroying an old barn and erecting a skyscraper in its place. It is rather like climbing a mountain, gaining new and wider views, discovering unexpected connections between our starting points and its rich environment. But the point from which we started out still exists and can be seen, although it appears smaller and forms a tiny part of our broad view gained by the mastery of the obstacles on our adventurous way up.”
Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”
Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Creativity is the residue of time wasted.”
Creo que la negativa al servicio militar por razones de conciencia, en caso que fiera hecha por cincuenta mil soldados, sería un poder irresistible. El individuo solo no puede obtener mucho. Aunque tampoco puede ser deseable que justamente los seres de más valor sean objeto de la destrucción por parte de esa maquinaria detrás de la cual se esconden tres grandes poderes: Imbecilidad, Temor y Codicia.”
Creo que la sobrevalorización de lo intelectual en nuestra educación, dirigida hacia la eficiencia y la practicidad, ha perjudicado los valores éticos.”
Cuando una persona puede obtener placer en marchar al ritmo de una pieza de música, esobasta para hacer que la desprecie. Se le ha dado su gran cerebro sólo por error.”
Curiosity is more important than knowledge.”
Dancers are the athletes of God.”
Dear Habicht, / Such a solemn air of silence has descended between us that I almost feel as if I am committing a sacrilege when I break it now with some inconsequential babble... / What are you up to, you frozen whale, you smoked, dried, canned piece of soul...?” \n, Relativity: The Special and the General Theory
Debido a que el campo gravitatorio queda determinado por la configuración de masas y varía al variar dicha configuración, la estructura geométrica de este espacio depende también de los factores físicos. El espacio ya no es, pues, según esta teoría - exactamente como lo había presentido Riemann - absoluto, sino que su estructura depende de influencias físicas”
Deux choses sont infinies : l’Univers et la bêtise humaine. Mais, en ce qui concerne l’Univers, je n’en ai pas encore acquis la certitude absolue.”
Development of Western science is based on two great achievements: the invention of the formal logical system (in Euclidean geometry) by the Greek philosophers, and the discovery of the possibility to find out causal relationships by systematic experiment (during the Renaissance). In my opinion, one has not to be astonished that the Chinese sages have not made these steps. The astonishing thing is that these discoveries were made at all.”
Did you know: The only source of knowledge is experience”
Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born.”
Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.”
Does there truly exist an insuperable contradiction between religion and science? Can religion be superseded by science?”
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity”
Don't do anything that goes against your conscience, even if your country says so.”
Don't dream of being a good person, be a human being is valuable and gives value to life.”
Don't listen to their words, fix your attention on their deeds.”
Don't think about why you question, simply don't stop questioning. Don't worry about what you can't answer, and don't try to explain what you can't know. Curiosity is its own reason. Aren't you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure behind reality? And this is the miracle of the human mind--to use its constructions, concepts, and formulas as tools to explain what man sees, feels and touches. Try to comprehend a little more each day. Have holy curiosity.”
Dua. I'm the master of my own fate - I'm the Captain of my soul. I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world.”
Due cose sono infinite: l'universo e la stupidità umana, ma riguardo l'universo ho ancora dei dubbi.”
During the youthful period of mankind's spiritual evolution human fantasy created gods in man's own image, who, by the operations of their will were supposed to determine, or at any rate to influence, the phenomenal world. Man sought to alter the disposition of these gods in his own favor by means of magic and prayer. The idea of God in the religions taught at present is a sublimation of that old concept of the gods. Its anthropomorphic character is shown, for instance, by the fact that men appeal to the Divine Being in prayers and plead for the fulfillment of their wishes. Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just, and omnibeneficent personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every human action, every human thought, and every human feeling and aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty Being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him? \n(Albert Einstein, Science, Philosophy, and Religion, A 1934 Symposium published by the Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion in Their Relation to the Democratic Way of Life, Inc., New York, 1941; from Einstein's Out of My Later Years, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1970, pp. 26-27.)”
E=mc2” \n, The Theory of Relativity and Other Essays
Each of us is here for a brief sojourn, for what purpose he knows not, though sometimes he thinks he feels it”
Earth is the insane asylum of the universe.”
Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”
Ego=1/Knowledge \n" More the knowledge lesser the ego, lesser the knowledge more the ego.”
Ein Freund ist ein Mensch, der die Melodie deines Herzen kennt und sie dir vorspielt, wenn du sie vergessen hast.”
Einstein was once asked how many feet are in a mile. Einstein's reply was "I don't know, why should I fill my brain with facts I can find in two minutes in any standard reference book?”
El año pasado pregunté a un conocido diplomático norteamericano de la Sociedad de Naciones por qué no amenazaban al Japón con un embargo comercial si continuaba con su campaña de violencia."Nuestros intereses económicos son demasiado poderosos" fue la respuesta. ¿Cómo es posible ayudar a los hombres si son capaces de contentarse con este tipo de argumentos?”
El Estado es para los hombres y no los hombres para el Estado. Como deber primero del Estado veo la protección del individuo, así como ofrecerle la posibilidad de desarrollar una personalidad creativa.”
El mundo no está amenazado por las malas personas sino por aquellos que permiten la maldad”
El nacionalismo es una enfermedad infantil. Es el sarampion de la humanidad.”
En la teoría de la relatividad, el sólido rígido y el reloj no juegan el papel de elementos irreductible en la estructuración de los conceptos físicos.”
En los momentos de crisis, solo la imaginación es mas importante q el conocimiento”
En los momentos de crisis, solo la imaginación es más importante que el conocimiento”
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.”
Entre las dificultades se esconde la oportunidad”
Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity.”
equations, eternity, future, mathematics, physics, politics, present, science
Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of experience.”
Even on the most solemn occasions I got away without wearing socks and hid that lack of civilization in high boots”
Even then, a new branch of mythic thought had already grown strong, one not religious in nature but no less perilous to mankind -- exaggerated nationalism. Half a century has shown that this new adversary is so strong that it places in question man's very survival. It is too early for the present-day historian to write about this problem, but it is to be hoped that one will survive who can undertake the task at a later date.” \n, Man and His Gods
Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.”
Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.”
Every theory is killed sooner or later in that way. But if the theory has good in it, that good is embodied and continued in the next theory.”
Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity.”
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
everyday is an oportunity to make a new happy ending.........”
Everyone must become their own person, however frightful that may be.”
Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.” \n, Einstein on Politics: His Private Thoughts and Public Stands on Nationalism, Zionism, War, Peace and the Bomb
Everything has changed. . . except the way we think. The aim [of education] must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals, who, however, see in the service of community their highest life problems”
Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.”
Everything is energy and that's all there is. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.”
Everything is energy.”
Everything must be made as simple as possible. But not simpler.”
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.”
Everything that the human race has done and thought is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assuagement of pain. One has to keep this constantly in mind if one wishes to understand spiritual movements and their development. Feeling and longing are the motive force behind all human endeavor and human creation, in however exalted a guise the latter may present themselves to us.”
Evil is the absence of God.”
Excellence is doing a common thing in an uncommon way.”
Failing isn't bad when you learn what not to do.”
Failure is success in progress”
Fantasy is way more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited.”
Feeling and longing are the motive force behind all human endeavor and human creation,”
Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social enviroment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions." (Essay to Leo Baeck, 1953)”
For a scientist, altering your doctrines when the facts change is not a sign of weakness.”
For an idea that does not first seem insane, there is no hope.”
For any one who is pervaded with the sense of causal law in all that happens, who accepts in real earnest the assumption of causality, the idea of a Being who interferes with the sequence of events in the world is absolutely impossible. Neither the religion of fear nor the social-moral religion can have any hold on him.”
For human community life cannot long endure on a basis of crude force, brutality, terror, and hate.”
For rebelling against every form of authority fate has punished me by making me an authority.”
For there is much truth in the saying that it is easy to give just and wise counsel—to others!—but hard to act justly and wisely for oneself.”
For us physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.”
For while religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among the individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles a battlefield than an orchestra. Everywhere, in economic as well as in political life, the guiding principle is one of ruthless striving for success at the expense of one's fellow. men. This competitive spirit prevails even in school and, destroying all feelings of human fraternity and cooperation, conceives of achievement not as derived from the love for productive and thoughtful work, but as springing from personal ambition and fear of rejection.”
Force always attracts men of low morality.”
From discord, find Harmony.”
From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of each other - above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”
funny-quotes, intelligence, life-lessons
Gandhi, the greatest political genius of our time, has pointed the way. He was shown of what sacrifices people are capable once they have found the right way. His work for the liberation of India is a living testimony to the fact that a will governed by firm conviction is stronger than a seemingly invincible material power.”
Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth. (said of Mahatma Gandhi)”
Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work...”
God always takes the simplest way.”
God does not play dice with the universe.” , The Born-Einstein Letters 1916-55
God does not play dice”
God is subtle but he is not malicious.”
Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.”
Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.”
Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.”
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
Growth comes through analogy; through seeing how things connect, rather than only seeing how they might be different.”
happy through the good fortunes and joys of your friends and not through senseless quarrels. If you allow these natural feelings to blossom within you, your every burden will seem lighter or more bearable to you, you will find your own way through patience, and you will spread joy everywhere.” \n, Querido Profesor Einstein: Correspondencia entre Albert Einstein y los Niños
Have the courage to take your own thoughts \nseriously, for they will shape you.”
Hay una fuerza motriz más poderosa que el vapor, la electricidad y la energía atómica. Esa fuerza es la voluntad”
He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. Albert Einstein”
He who joyfully marches to music rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.”
Here in America all pay lip service to the first, optimistic, tendency. Nevertheless, the second group is strongly represented. It appears on the scene everywhere, though for the most part it hides its true nature. Its aim is political and spiritual dominion over the people by a minority, by the circuitous route of control over the means of production. Its proponents have already tried to utilize the weapon of anti-Semitism as well as of hostility to various other groups. They will repeat the attempt in times to come. So far all such tendencies have failed because of the people’s sound political instinct. And so it will remain in the future, if we cling to the rule: Beware of flatterers, especially when they come preaching hatred.”
Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -how passionately I hate them!”
His historical picture closes with the end of the nineteenth century, and with good reason. By that time it seemed that the influence of these mythic, authoritatively anchored forces which can be denoted as religious, had been reduced to a tolerable level in spite of all the persisting inertia and hypocrisy.
Honestly, I cannot understand what people mean when they talk about the freedom of the human will. I have a feeling, for instance, that I will something or other; but what relation this has with freedom I cannot understand at all. I feel that I will to light my pipe and I do it; but how can I connect this up with the idea of freedom? What is behind the act of willing to light the pipe? Another act of willing? Schopenhauer once said: Der Mensch kann was er will; er kann aber nicht wollen was er will (Man can do what he will but he cannot will what he wills).”
Hope that justice will be done to those brave men who stood up for their convictions.”
Hours before his death in 1955 from a ruptured abdominal aortic ayeurysm, Albert Einstein's doctors proposed trying a new and unproven surgery as a final option for extending his life. Einstein refused. "I have done my share," he said. "It is time to go. I will do it elegantly.”
How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it.”
How can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought independent of experience, is so admirably appropriate to the objects of reality?”
How did it come to pass that I was the one to develop the theory of relativity? The reason, I think, is that a normal adult never stops to think about problems of space and time. These are things which he has thought of as a child. But my intellectual development was retarded, as a result of which I began to wonder about space and time only when I had already grown up. Naturally I could go deeper into the problem than a child with normal abilities.”
How does it happen that a properly endowed natural scientist comes to concern himself with epistemology? Is there no more valuable work in his specialty? I hear many of my colleagues saying, and I sense it from many more, that they feel this way. I cannot share this sentiment. When I think about the ablest students whom I have encountered in my teaching, that is, those who distinguish themselves by their independence of judgment and not merely their quick-wittedness, I can affirm that they had a vigorous interest in epistemology. They happily began discussions about the goals and methods of science, and they showed unequivocally, through their tenacity in defending their views, that the subject seemed important to them. Indeed, one should not be surprised at this.”
How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for those who are wise and of good will.”
How many people are trapped in their everyday habits: part numb, part frightened, part indifferent? To have a better life we must keep choosing how we're living.”
How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.”
