Albert Einstein - QUOTES
Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist
Albert
Einstein (March 14, 1879 - April 18, 1955)
was a German-born theoretical physicist.
He
is best known for his
1.
Theory
of relativity and
2.
Specifically
mass-energy equivalence, E = mc2.
3.
Special
theory of relativity
4.
General
theory of relativity
5.
Time
reversal
6.
Photon
– photon collision
Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in
Physics "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his
discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect."
Works by Albert Einstein include more than
fifty scientific papers and also non-scientific books.
Einstein is revered by the physics community,
and in 1999 Time magazine named him the "Person of the Century".
He is probably the most recognized
scientist in history, as well as one of the most important, counted among or
even surpassing the achievements of Galileo, Isaac Newton, and Charles
Darwin.
In wider culture the name
"Einstein" has become synonymous with genius.
Quotations
1.
A
man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and
social ties; no religious basis is necessary.
2.
Man
would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment
and hope of reward after death.
3.
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.
4.
At
any rate, I am convinced that He [God] does not play dice. (In a letter to Max
Born, 1926)
5.
Before
God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
6.
Common
sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. (attributed)
7.
Do
not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are
still greater.
8.
Ethical
axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science.
9.
Truth is what stands the test of experience.
10.
Everything
that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor
in freedom. ("Out of My Later Years," 1950)
11.
Everything
should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler. (attributed)
12.
Few
people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the
prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of
forming such opinions.
13.
For
there is no secret and there is no defense; there is no possibility of control
except through the aroused understanding and insistence of the peoples of the
world. We scientists recognize our inescapable responsibility to carry to our
fellow citizens an understanding of atomic energy and its implication for
society. In this lies our only security and our only hope - we believe that an
informed citizenry will act for life and not for death.
14.
God
may be subtle, but He isn't plain mean.
15.
Gravity
cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.
16.
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. (quoted in New York Times, March 13, 1940)
17.
He
who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt.
He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would
fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once.
Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how
violently I hate all this, how despicable an ignorable war is; I would rather
be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action! It is my conviction that
killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.
18. I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World
War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
19. I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.
20.
I
want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that
phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts;
the rest are details.
21.
If
A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and
z is keeping your mouth shut. (Observer, Jan. 15, 1950)
22.
If
I had only known, I would have been a locksmith.
23.
If
one studies too zealously, one easily loses his pants.
24.
If
we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?
25.
If
you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.
26. If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.
27. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting
different results. (attributed)
28.
It
is best, it seems to me, to separate one's inner striving from one's trade as
far as possible. It is not good when one's daily break is tied to God's special
blessing.
29.
It
is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity
to his convictions in political affairs. ('Treasury for the Free World,' 1946)
30.
It
may affront the military-minded person to suggest a regime that does not
maintain any military secrets.
31.
If
A equals success, then the formula is _ A = _ X + _ Y + _ Z.
_ X is work. _ Y is play. _ Z is keep your mouth shut.
_ X is work. _ Y is play. _ Z is keep your mouth shut.
32.
It
would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no
sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as
a variation of wave pressure.
33. Imagination is more important than knowledge ...
34.
Laws
alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his
views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.
35.
Man
usually avoids attributing cleverness to somebody else - unless it is an enemy.
36.
My
religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who
reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail
and feeble mind.
37.
Only
two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure
about the former.
38.
Reading,
after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits.
39.
Any
man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits
of thinking.
40.
Reality
is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
41.
Science
without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. ("Science, Philosophy
and Religion: a Symposium", 1941)
42.
So
long as they don't get violent, I want to let everyone say what they wish, for
I myself have always said exactly what pleased me.
43.
Sometimes
one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.
44.
Teaching
should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as
a hard duty.
45.
The
hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax. (attributed)
46.
The
ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage
to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. The trite
subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, luxury have always
seemed to me contemptible.
47.
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity,
of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries
merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy
curiosity.
48.
The
independence created by philosophical insight is - in my opinion - the mark of
distinction between a mere artisan or specialist and a real seeker after truth.
(Einstein wrote in 1944)
49.
The
most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of
all true art and science.
50.
The
most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible.
51. The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has
merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.
52.
The
secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
53.
The
significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking
with which we created them. (attributed)
54.
The
unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking
and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe. (Telegram, 24 May 1946)
55.
There
are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The
other is as though everything is a miracle.
56.
Through
the release of atomic energy, our generation has brought into the world the
most revolutionary force since prehistoric man's discovery of fire. This basic
force of the universe cannot be fitted into the outmoded concept of narrow
nationalism.
57.
To
punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself.
58.
Too
many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even
if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.
59.
Truth
is what stands the test of experience.
60. Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of
value.
61.
We
should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful
muscles, but no personality.
62.
When
I examined myself and my methods of thought, I came to the conclusion that the
gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive
knowledge.
63.
What
really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the world.
64.
When
you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always
reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about.
(The World as I See It.)
65. When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two
minutes. When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours
that's relativity.
66.
Yes,
we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations.
But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter
of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever.
67.
You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for
war. (attributed)
68.
You
see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in
New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And
radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them
there. The only difference is that there is no cat. (when asked to describe
radio)
