Although I am no "big" Einstein fan, I have always found what he said during his life fascinating, primarily because he was not a religious thinker but a scientist, and one of the greatest the world has ever known! The fact that the physical world can offer up so much profound knowledge is very, very intriguing and worthy of great meditation. Here are some of his famous quotations. I thought many were profoundly insightful--or simply funny--and thought I'd pass them on. Enjoy!
My commentary is italicized by the way.
* "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
* "Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Although there are issues with semantics in this one, I believe this is a profound statement with great, great truth. Knowledge is VITAL, but one of the most important aspects of knowledge is righteous imagination. It is how worlds are created!
* "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
* "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
* "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
* "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
* "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
* "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
* "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
* "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
* "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds." Ask the martyrs, they know.
* "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
* "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
* "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
* "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
* "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." As a professional educator, I am constantly aware of this seeming paradox. I don't teach, I provide tools.
* "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
* "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological
criminal."
* "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
* "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
* "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Deeply profound. This is worthy of great ponder.
* "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
* "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
* "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
* "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
* "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods."
* "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
* "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means
nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction
between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
You know, we often hear--and for good reason--how much misinformation and nasty stuff is on the net, but there is so much wonderful information too! Technology is constantly derided for its ill effects, but I think the most important thing to remember is that technology always magnifies, or intensifies, what already exists in the hearts and minds of men.
1 comment:
Great post Dan. Your post reminded me of something I read not long ago. In the recently published "Mormon Scientist," Dr. Henry Eyring told this little story about his encounter with Einstein:
"After a very pleasant morning in discussion with Professor Einstein, we walked together at noon through what had been a rose garden but was now planted with a field crop. I plucked a sprig and asked Professor Einstein what it was. He did not know. We walked a little farther and encountered the gardener sitting on his wheelbarrow. His reply to the same query was, "It is soybeans...
"Usually when Henry told this story, he ended it with the quip, "Einstein didn't know beans."
"Mormon Scientist" written by Henry J. Eyring, is a great/quick read that I think you would really enjoy - especially given our conversations as of late.
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