Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Albert Einstein Physicist

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Mar 14, 1879
  • Died: Apr 18, 1955

Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist and philosopher of science. He developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics. He is best known in popular culture for his mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc². He 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". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory.

Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led to the development of his special theory of relativity. He realized, however, that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916, he published a paper on the general theory of relativity. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules.

It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed. great

Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone. science

We should take care not to make the intellect our god it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. God & intelligence

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation and is but a reflection of human frailty. God & imagination

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. education

I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. God & good

The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while. power & wisdom

I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world. God

Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. patriotism

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. art, experience & science

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. success

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. death

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. war

The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe. power

Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. government & respect

The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. beauty & truth

True religion is real living living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness. religion

You ask me if I keep a notebook to record my great ideas. I've only ever had one. great

The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one. war

The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. future

Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools. anger

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. life

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. art, knowledge & teacher

The man of science is a poor philosopher. science

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. time

True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist. art

Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. great

There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there. knowledge & time

Peace cannot be kept by force it can only be achieved by understanding. peace

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. attitude

If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. change & funny

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. imagination

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. age

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters. truth

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. imagination, intelligence & knowledge

God always takes the simplest way. faith & God

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. intelligence

If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. truth

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. great

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. love

Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism - how passionately I hate them! patriotism

I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind. best & life

Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity. politics

Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized. respect

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. technology

All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual. society

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? learning

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. wisdom

It was the experience of mystery - even if mixed with fear - that engendered religion. experience, fear & religion

You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war. war

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin what else does a man need to be happy? happiness

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. hope

Confusion of goals and perfection of means seems, in my opinion, to characterize our age. age

God may be subtle, but he isn't plain mean. God

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough. future

Imagination is more important than knowledge. imagination & knowledge

The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat. health & life

The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge. knowledge & positive

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. imagination & life

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. religion & science

Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas. poetry

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education. education & learning

Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. respect

Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it. science

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. education & learning

The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead. death & fear

Love is a better teacher than duty. love & teacher

When the solution is simple, God is answering. God

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. intelligence

Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. truth

Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish. equality & God

Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people. life

No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right a single experiment can prove me wrong. science

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. nature

An empty stomach is not a good political adviser. good

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead his eyes are closed. good

God does not play dice. God

Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods. knowledge & truth

One strength of the communist system of the East is that it has some of the character of a religion and inspires the emotions of a religion. religion & strength

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. life

The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking. science

The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax. business

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift. nature

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. science

You can't blame gravity for falling in love. love

The environment is everything that isn't me. environmental

I am a deeply religious nonbeliever - this is a somewhat new kind of religion. religion

I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right. time

Perfection of means and confusion of ends seem to characterize our age. age

Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. intelligence

It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely. alone

The only source of knowledge is experience. experience & knowledge

We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us. nature

Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them. intelligence

People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results. love

Information is not knowledge. intelligence & knowledge

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. success

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. fear, good & hope

Knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be. knowledge

Morality is of the highest importance - but for us, not for God. God & religion

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. imagination

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. motivational

Force always attracts men of low morality. men

Time is what prevents everything from happening at once. time

It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder. war