Read to find out which Albert Einstein mind blowing quotes of life, religion, learning and science that claimed to be so popular and provocative.
Although Albert Einstein is lauded for his scientific mind, he was also a great philosopher.
This German-born theoretical physicist strongly agreed the significance and educational value of methodology as well as history and philosophy of science.
In other words, science and philosophy complement each other.
In 1944, Einstein wrote to professor of physical sciences, Robert Ambrose Thornton:
“So many people today — and even professional scientists—seem to me like somebody who has seen thousands of trees but has never seen a forest. 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.”
(Read the full letter here.)
If you read up his essays, articles, letters, giving interviews and speeches, you would discover that he looked up to great philosophers, from Ernst Mach, Immanuel Kant, David Hume, to Baruch Spinoza and Arthur Schopenhauer.
In 1915, he wrote a letter to German philosopher and physicist Moritz Schlick, saying that he was very inspired by Scottish philosopher David Hume’s ‘A Treatise of Human Nature‘ just before proposing special relativity in 1905:
“In this also you saw correctly that this line of thought [Positivism] had a great influence on my efforts, and more specifically, E. Mach, and even more so Hume, whose Treatise of Human Nature I had studied avidly and with admiration shortly before discovering the theory of relativity. It is very possible that without these philosophical studies I would not have arrived at the solution.”
“Auch darin haben Sie richtig gesehen, dass diese Denkrichtung [Positivismus] von grossem Einfluss auf meine Bestrebungen gewesen ist, und zwar E. Mach und noch viel mehr Hume, dessen Traktat über den Verstand ich kurz vor Auffindung der Relativitätstheorie mit Eifer und Bewunderung studierte. Es ist sehr gut möglich, dass ich ohne diese philosophischen Studien nicht auf die Lösung gekommen wäre.” (German)
(The Collected Papers Of Albert Einstein, Volume 8, The Berlin Years: Correspondence, 1914-1918 (English Translation Supplement), Translated By Ann M. Hentschel, Doc. 165, To Moritz Schlick, Berlin, 13 Wittelsbacher St., Tuesday. 14 December 1915, P. 161) source
(The quote in German is found in: The Collected Papers Of Albert Einstein, Volume 8A, The Berlin Years: Correspondence, 1914-1917, Edited by Robert Schulmann, A. J. Kox, Michel Janssen, and József Illy, Doc. 165, To Moritz Schlick, Berlin, 13 Wittelsbacher St., Dienstag. 14 December 1915, P. 220) source
Einstein’s own philosophical ideas were wide-ranging,and often very profound.
Albert Einstein Mind Blowing Quotes
Now, let’s check out this authentic selection of Albert Einstein mind blowing quotes of life, religion, science, so we can make our own decision.
“I know that philosophically a murderer is not responsible for his crime; nevertheless, I must protect myself from unpleasant contacts.” – Albert Einstein
“The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Wort Gott ist für mich nichts als Ausdruck und Produkt menschlicher Schwächen, die Bibel eine Sammlung ehrwürdiger aber doch reichlich primitiver Legenden.” (German)
“I would not think that philosophy and reason itself will be man’s guide in the foreseeable future; however, they will remain the most beautiful sanctuary they have always been for the chosen.” – Albert Einstein
“The fact that man produces a concept “I” besides the totality of his mental and emotional experiences or perceptions does not prove that there must be any specific existence behind such a concept. We are succumbing to illusions produced by our self-created language, without reaching a better understanding of anything.” – Albert Einstein
“Because our spiritual experiences consist of reproductions and combinations of sensory impressions, it seems to me that the conception of a soul without a body is empty and meaningless.” – Albert Einstein
“Da unsere seelischen Erlebnisse in Reproduktionen und Kombinationen sinnlicher Eindrücke bestehen, so scheint mir die Konzep- tion einer Seele ohne Körper leer und nichtssagend.” (German)
“From reading philosophical books I had to learn that I stand there like a blind man before a painting. I grasp only the inductive method at work … but the works of speculative philosophy are inaccessible to me…” – Albert Einstein
“Bei der Lektüre philosophischer Bücher habe ich erfahren müssen, dass ich dastehe wie ein Blinder vor einem Gemälde. Ich begreife nur die induktiv zu Werke gehende Methode … die Werke der spekulativen Philosophie sind mir aber unzugänglich…” (German)
“To assume the existence of an unperceivable being . . .does not facilitate understanding the orderliness we find in the perceivable world.” – Albert Einstein
“The knowledge of truth as such is wonderful, but it is so little capable of acting as a guide that it cannot prove even the justification and the value of the aspiration toward that very knowledge of truth. Here we face, therefore, the limits of the purely rational conception of our existence.” – Albert Einstein
“Wie herrlich auch die Erkenntnis der Wahrheit als solche sein mag, als Führerin ist sie so ohnmächtig, dass sie nicht einmal die Berechtigung und den Wert des Strebens nach eben dieser Erkenntnis der Wahrheit zu begründen vermag. Hier liegt also die Grenze der rein rationalen Erfassung unseres Daseins.” (German)
“A difficult existence suits men better, after all…Read a pretty translation of Odysseus.When I was going through hard times I used to read it.” – Albert Einstein
“There’s nothing more joyful and satisfying than what you’ve fought to create and shape into the best form possible.” – Albert Einstein
“Study and in general the pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Studium und allgemein das Streben nach Wahrheit und Schönheit ist ein Gebiet, auf dem wir das ganze Leben lang Kinder bleiben dürfen.” (German)
“To think with fear of the end of one’s life is pretty general with human beings. It is one of the means nature uses to conserve the life of the species. Approached rationally that fear is the most unjustified of all fears, for there is no risk of any accidents to one who is dead or not yet born. In short, the fear is stupid but it cannot be helped.” – Albert Einstein
“…on every field poisonous weeds can grow alongside the good corn, when conditions are right I believe these matter more than the soil.”- Albert Einstein
“…auf jedem Acker neben dem guten Getreide giftiges Unkraut wachsen kann, wenn es die Umstände begünstigen; ich glaube an denen liegt es mehr als an dem Boden.” (German)
“Where the world ceases to be the scene of our personal hopes and wishes, where we face it as free beings, admiring, questioning, and observing, there we enter the realm of art and science.” – Albert Einstein
“Wo die Welt aufhört, Schauplatz des persönlichen Hoffens Wünschens und Wollens zu sein wo wir uns ihr als freie Geschöpfe bewundernd, fragend, schauend gegenüberstellen, da treten wir ins Reich der Kunst und Wissenschaft ein.” (German)
“Good acts are like good poetry. They are sensed easily but are only partially understood.” – Albert Einstein
“Authority gone to one’s head is the greatest enemy of truth.” – Albert Einstein
“Autoritätsdusel ist der größte Feind der Wahrheit.” (German)
“Behind each cause is still another cause; the end or beginning of all causes has yet to be found.” – Albert Einstein
“Enjoying the joys of others and suffering with them – these are the best guides for man.” – Albert Einstein
“Freude an der Freude und Leid am Leid des Anderen, das sind die besten Führer der Menschen.” (German)
“He who was never deceived by such a lie (lie of an obliging imagination) does not know the meaning of bliss.” – Albert Einstein
“Wenn sie nie belogen hat (lügt eine liebenswürdige Phantasie), der weiss nicht was selig heisst.” (German)
“Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather from love and devotion towards men and towards objective things.” – Albert Einstein
“It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is so easy to recognize a falsehood.” – Albert Einstein
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted in important affairs.” – Albert Einstein
“Wenn es sich um Wahrheit und Gerechtigkeit handelt, gibt es nicht die Unterscheidung zwischen kleinen und großen Problemen.” (German)
“Truth is a verbal concept, which cannot be submitted to mathematical proof.” – Albert Einstein
“…do not be angry at my wild ranting; people must vent themselves in order not to burst.” – Albert Einstein
“…der Mensch muss sich ausreden, um nicht zu zerplatzen.” (German)
“Truth tends to appear modestly and in simple dress.” – Albert Einstein
“Wahrheit pflegt bescheiden und in schlichtem Gewande einherzugehen.” (German)
“…the desire for truth must take precedence over all other desires.” – Albert Einstein
“…das Streben nach Wahrheit allem anderen Streben vorangestellt werden muß.” (German)
“There is nothing divine about morality; it is a purely human affair.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Moralische ist ihm keine göttliche, sondern eine rein menschliche Angelegenheit.” (German)
“If there is no price to be paid, it is also not of value.” – Albert Einstein
“Was nichts kostet ist auch nichts wert.” (German)
“Every reminiscence is colored by today’s being what it is, and therefore by a deceptive point of view.” – Albert Einstein
“Jede Erinnerung ist gefärbt durch das jetzige So-Sein, also durch einen trügerischen Blickpunkt.” (German)
Note: Another English translation is:
“Every reminiscence is colored by one’s present state, hence by a deceptive point of view.” – Albert Einstein
“Life is short, and the boulder against which one pushes with all one’s might moves from its spot only with long intermissions.” – Albert Einstein
“Personal existence makes sense through the conviction of the objective value of one’s own strife and action. But if this conviction is not softened by humor, one becomes insufferable.” – Albert Einstein
“A life directed chiefly toward the fulfillment of personal desires will sooner or later always lead to bitter disappointment.” – Albert Einstein
“Ein Leben, das vor allem auf die Erfüllung persönlicher Bedürfnisse ausgerichtet ist, führt früher oder später zu bitterer Enttäuschung.” (German)
“A genius is one to whom ideas occur.” – Albert Einstein
“Genie ist, wenn einem etwas einfällt.” (German)
“If you would live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” – Albert Einstein
“Wenn du ein glückliches Leben willst, verbinde es mit einem Ziel, nicht aber mit Menschen oder Dingen.” (German)
“The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Streben nach moralischem Handeln ist das wichtigste Streben der Menschen. Sein inneres Gleichgewicht ja seine Existenz hängen davon ab. Moralisches Handeln allein kann dem Leben Schönheit und Würde verleihen.” (German)
“The basic laws of the universe are simple, but because our senses are limited, we can’t grasp them. There is a pattern in creation.” – Albert Einstein
“The value of a man,…should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.” – Albert Einstein
“Der Wert eines Mannes…. sollte in dem bestehen, was er gibt, und nicht in dem, was er zu erlangen vermag.” (German)
“A forced faithfulness is a bitter fruit for all concerned.” – Albert Einstein
“Erzwungene Treue aber ist für alle Beteiligten eine bittere Frucht.” (German)
“The search and striving for truth and knowledge is one of the highest of man’s qualities -though often the pride is most loudly voiced by those who strive the least.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Streben nach Wahrheit und Erkenntnis gehört zum Schönsten, dessen der Mensch fähig ist, wenn auch der Stolz auf dieses Streben meist im Munde derjenigen ist, die am wenigsten von solchem Streben erfüllt sind.” (German)ce
“Human beings can attain a worthy and harmonious life only if they are able to rid themselves, within the limits of human nature, of striving to fulfill wishes of the material kind. The goal is to raise the spiritual values of society.” – Albert Einstein
“All my life I have been a friend of well-chosen, sober words and of concise presentation. Pompous phrases and words give me goose bumps whether they deal with the theory of relativity or with anything else.” – Albert Einstein
“Propositions arrived at by purely logical means are completely empty as regards reality.” – Albert Einstein
“Durch bloßes logisches Denken vermögen wir keinerlei Wissen über die Erfahrungswelt zu erlangen; alles Wissen über die Wirklichkeit geht von der Erfahrung aus und mündet in ihr.” (German)
“In human freedom in the philosophical sense I am definitely a disbeliever. Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity.” – Albert Einstein
“An Freiheit des Menschen Im Philosophischen Sinne Glaube Ich Keineswegs. Jeder handelt nicht nur unter äußerem Zwang, sondern auch gemäß innerer Notwendigkeit.” (German)
“There are two different conceptions about the nature of the universe — the world as a unity dependent on humanity, and the world as reality independent of the human factor.” – Albert Einstein
“Our situation on this earth seems strange. Every one of us appears here involuntarily and uninvited for a short stay, without knowing the whys and the wherefore.” – Albert Einstein
“Seltsam erscheint unsere Lage auf dieser Erde. Jeder von uns erscheint da unfreiwillig und ungebeten zu kurzem Aufenthalt, ohne zu wissen, warum und wozu.” (German)
“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.” – Albert Einstein
“Ein wirklicher Meister kann nur einer sein, der sich einer Sache mit ganzer Kraft und ganzer Seele hingibt. Deshalb verlangt Meisterschaft einen ganzen Mann.” (German)
“I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my ideas.” – Albert Einstein
“Übrigens weiß ich ganz genau, daß ich selbst gar keine besondere Begabung habe. Neugier, Besessenheit und sture Ausdauer, verbunden mit Selbstkritik, haben mich zu meinen Gedanken gebracht.” (German)
“A large part of our attitude toward things is conditioned by opinions and emotions which we unconsciously absorb as children from our environment.” – Albert Einstein
“I am very much reminded of my youth. In one’s thoughts, one tends to set oneself against the world. One compares one’s strengths with everything else, one alternates between despondency and self-assurance. One has the feeling that life is eternal and that everything one does and thinks is so important.” – Albert Einstein
“Wenn ich Deine Briefe lese, dann werde ich sehr an meine Jugend erinnert. Da ist man so geneigt, sich in Gedanken der Welt gegenüberzustellen. An allem misst man seine Kräfte, wechselt zwischen Verzagtheit und Selbstsicherheit. Man hat das Gefühl, dass das Leben unendlich ist und dass alles, was man thut und denkt, so wichtig ist.” (German)
“…man owes his strength in the struggle for existence to the fact that he is a socially living animal.” – Albert Einstein
“…der Mensch seine Kraft im Kampf um das Dasein dem Umstand verdankt, daß er ein geselliges Wesen ist.” (German)
“But personalities are not formed by what is heard and said, but by labor and activity.” – Albert Einstein
“Persönlichkeiten aber formen sich nicht durch das, was sie hören und sagen, sondern durch Arbeit und Handeln.” (German)
“Where there is love, there is no imposition.” – Albert Einstein
“A human being is a part of the whole world, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish it but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.” – Albert Einstein
“I do not believe in free will. Schopenhauer’s words: ‘Man can do what he wants, but he cannot will what he wills,’ accompany me in all situations throughout my life and reconcile me with the actions of others, even if they are rather painful to me. This awareness of the lack of free will keeps me from taking myself and my fellow men too seriously as acting and deciding individuals, and from losing my temper.” – Albert Einstein
“Ich glaube nicht an die Freiheit des Willens. Schopenhauers Wort: ‘Der Mensch kann wohl tun, was er will, aber er kann nicht wollen, was er will’, begleitet mich in allen Lebenslagen und versöhnt mich mit den Handlungen der Menschen, auch wenn sie mir recht schmerzlich sind. Diese Erkenntnis von der Unfreiheit des Willens schützt mich davor, mich selbst und die Mitmenschen als handelnde und urteilende Individuen allzu ernst zu nehmen und den guten Humor zu verlieren.” (German)
“Human beings in their thinking, feeling and acting are not free but are as causally bound as the stars in their motions.” – Albert Einstein
“The destiny of civilized humanity depends more than ever on the moral forces it is capable of generating.” – Albert Einstein
“Mehr als je hängt das Schicksal der zivilisierten Menschheit von den moralischen Kräften ab, die sie aufzubringen imstande ist.” (German)
“People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” – Albert Einstein
“Für uns gläubige Physiker hat der Unterschied von Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft nur den Charakter einer, wenngleich hartnäckigen, Illusion.” (German)
This quote has been rewritten and widely shared as:
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” – Albert Einstein
“Man stands powerless before all the tragedies that are allotted to him…” – Albert Einstein
“Machtlos steht der Mensch vor all dem Fruchtbaren…” (German)
“…the dependence of the individual upon society is a fact of nature which cannot be abolished — just as in the case of ants and bees.” – Albert Einstein
“Body and soul are not two different things, but only two different ways of perceiving the same thing. Similarly, physics and psychology are only different attempts to link our experiences together by way of systematic thought.” – Albert Einstein
“Körper und Seele sind nicht zwei verschiedene Dinge, sondern nur zwei Arten, dasselbe Ding wahrzunehmen. Entsprechend sind Physik und Psychologie nur zwei verschiedenartige Versuche, unsere Erlebnisse auf dem Weg systemtischen Denkens miteinander zu verknupfen.” (German)
“The abstract concept “society” means to the individual human being the sum total of his direct and indirect relations to his contemporaries and to all the people of earlier generations.” – Albert Einstein
“Where the world ceases to be the scene of our personal hopes and wishes, where we face it as free beings admiring, asking, observing, there we enter the realm of Art and Science.” – Albert Einstein
“…wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein
“Weisheit ist nicht das Ergebnis von Schulbildung, sondern des lebenslangen Versuchs, sie zu erwerben.” (German)
“Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather from love and devotion towards men and towards objective things.” – Albert Einstein
“The disparity between what you are and what others believe, or at least, say about you, is far too great. But you have to bear it with humor.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Missverhältnis zwischen dem, was man ist, und dem, was die andern von einem glauben oder wenigsten sagen, ist gar zu gross. Man muss es aber mit Humor tragen.” (German)
“The reciprocal relationship of epistemology and science is of a noteworthy kind. They are dependent upon each other. Epistemology without contact with science becomes an empty scheme. Science without epistemology is – insofaras it is thinkable at all – primitive and muddled.” – Albert Einstein
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” – Albert Einstein
“Wissenschaft ohne Religion ist lahm, Religion ohne Wissenschaft ist blind.” (German)
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. 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.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Schönste, was wir erleben können, ist das Geheimnisvolle. Es ist das Grundgefühl, das an der Wiege von wahrer Kunst und Wissenschaft steht. Wer es nicht kennt und sich nicht mehr wundern kann, der ist sozusagen tot und sein Auge erloschen.” (German)
“It is difficult even to attach a precise meaning to the term ‘scientific truth’. So different is the meaning of the word ‘truth’ according to whether we deal with a fact of experience, a mathematical proposition or a scientific theory. “Religious truth” conveys nothing clear to me at all.” – Albert Einstein
“Es ist schon nicht leicht, mit dem Wort >>Wissenschaftliche Wahrheit<< einen klaren Sinn zu verbinden. So ist der Sinn des Wortes >>Wahrheit<< verschieden, je nachdem es sich um eine Erlebnistatsache, einen mathematischen Satz oder eine naturwissenschaftliche Theorie handelt. Unter» religiöser Wahrheit «kann ich mir etwas Klares überhaupt nicht denken.” (German)
“Morality is of the highest importance — but for us, not for God.” – Albert Einstein
“Moral ist eine wichtige Sache, aber für uns, nicht für Gott.” (German)
“It is the same with people as it is with riding a bike. Only when moving can one comfortably maintain one’s balance.” – Albert Einstein
“Beim Menschen ist es wie beim Velo. Nur wenn er faehrt, kann er bequem die Balance halten.” (German)
Note: The more popular version of this quote is:
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein
“… the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.” – Albert Einstein
“Pure logical thinking cannot yield us any knowledge of the empirical world. All knowledge of reality starts from experience and ends in it.” – Albert Einstein
“Durch bloßes logisches Denken vermögen wir keinerlei Wissen über die Erfahrungswelt zu erlangen; alles Wissen über die Wirklichkeit geht von der Erfahrung aus und mündet in ihr.” (German)
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” – Albert Einstein
“Es ist die wichtigste Kunst des Lehrers, die Freude am Schaffen und am Erkennen zu wecken.” (German)
“A happy man is too satisfied with the present to think too much about the future.” – Albert Einstein
“Un homme heureux et trop content de la présence pour penser beaucoup à l’avenir.” (French)
“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein
“Versuche nicht, ein erfolgreicher, sondern ein wertvoller Mensch zu werden.” (German)
“The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life.” – Albert Einstein
“Wer sein eigenes Leben und das seiner Mitmenschen als sinnlos empfindet, der ist nicht nur unglücklich, sondern auch kaum lebensfähig.” (German)
“The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained to liberation from the self.” – Albert Einstein
“Der wahre Wert eines Menschen ist in erster Linie dadurch bestimmt, in welchem Grad und in welchem Sinn er zur Befreiung vom Ich gelangt ist.” (German)
“We have been endowed with just enough intelligence to be able to see clearly just how utterly inadequate that intelligence is when we are confronted with what exists. If this humility could be imparted to everybody, the world of human endeavors would become more appealing.” – Albert Einstein
Note: All the above Albert Einstein mind blowing quotes of life philosophy are taken from reliable sources.
*Here is list of authentic Albert Einstein quotes our death is not an end.