“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Any fool can know. The point is to understand."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Imagination is more important than knowledge.
For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will get you everywhere else".
— Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Creativity is contagious, pass it on."
— Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits".
— Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources".
— Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Never memorize something that you can look up.”
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
'I have deep faith that the principle of the universe will be beautiful and simple.'
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of experience."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"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."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"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."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Perfection of means and confusion of ends seems to characterize our age".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
The words of the language, as they are written or spoken, do not seem to play any role in my mechanism of thought. The psychical entities which seem to serve as elements in thought are certain signs and more or less clear images which can be ’voluntarily’ reproduced and combined. […] This combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought–before there is any connection with logical construction in words or other kinds of signs which can be communicated to others. […] The above mentioned elements are, in my case, of visual and some of muscular type. Conventional words or other signs have to be sought for laboriously only in a secondary stage, when the mentioned associative play is sufficiently established and can be reproduced at will."
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax".
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Playing is the highest form of research"
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Everything must be made as simple as possible. But not simpler.”
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"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."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once"
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem — in my opinion — to characterize our age.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Bureaucracy is the death of all sound work”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Why is it that nobody understands me, yet everybody likes me?”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Only the one who does not question is safe from making a mistake.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is so easy to recognize a falsehood.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“All of science is nothing more than refinement of everyday thinking.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"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."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it"
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"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."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The development of general ability for independent thinking and judgment should always be placed foremost, not the acquisition of special knowledge. Otherwise he – with his specialized knowledge – more closely resembles a well-trained dog than a harmoniously developed person"
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Once you stop learning, you start dying"
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“People who fail to regard the truth seriously in small matters, cannot be trusted in matters that are great.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“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.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“[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.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Student is not a container you have to fill but a torch you have to light up.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Success = 1 part work + 1 part play + 1 part keep your mouth shut”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“In two weeks the sheeplike masses of any country can be worked up by the newspapers into such a state of excited fury that men are prepared to put on uniforms and kill and be killed, for the sake of the sordid ends of a few interested parties.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“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.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Science has therefore been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man’s ethical behavior 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.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“My political ideal is democracy. Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Standardization robs life of its spice. To deprive every ethnic group of its special traditions is to convert the world into a huge Ford plant. I believe in standardizing automobiles. I do not believe in standardizing human beings. Standardization is a great peril which threatens American culture".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The United States is the most powerful technically advanced country in the world to-day. Its influence on the shaping of international relations is absolutely incalculable. But 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 the essential interests of the Americans. 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".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“I came to America because of the great, great freedom which I heard existed in this country. I made a mistake in selecting America as a land of freedom, a mistake I cannot repair in the balance of my life.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people, troubles will be coming from within and without. America cannot smile away their Negro problem nor Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There are cosmic laws".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"America, however, uses Russia now as a pretext to arm and create more terrible nuclear bombs. If I were young, I would leave the United States. I want to live where scholarship is free and unattached to the military machine. I want to live where spiritual values are not suppressed by the State. Nothing has real value which is not done out of love for one's fellowman. Poor America—the Apocalyptic rider is coming"
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"“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.”".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity”.
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The formula for success in life is work, play and keep your mouth shut".
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“A knowledge of the historic and philosophical background gives that kind of independence from prejudices of his generation from which most scientists are suffering. This 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.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
To punish me for my contempt of authority, Fate has made me an authority myself.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”
― Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Information is not knowledge.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"I never understood why the theory of relativity with its concepts and problems so far removed from practical life should for so long have met with a lively, or indeed passionate, resonance among broad circles of the public … I have never yet heard a truly convincing answer to this question."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value. He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give more than he receives."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The social outlook of Americans…their sense of equality and human dignity is limited to men of white skins. The more I feel an American, the more this situation pains me. I can escape complicity in it only by speaking out.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"Classical thermodynamics is the only physical theory of universal content, which I am convinced, that within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts will never be overthrown.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
The ruling of the dumb people can't be overcome because there are so many of them, and their voice counts as much as ours"
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind..."
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"All our lauded technological progress - our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“We Shall Require a Substantially New Manner of Thinking if Mankind is to Survive”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
—Albert Einstein (1879-1955)