Check out Albert Einstein advice on life which are insightful and inspirational.
Besides sharing with the world his amazing theory of relativity and E=mc2, Einstein also offered nuggets of life wisdom in his interviews, letters and speeches.
This German-born world genius strongly advocated persistence, dare-to-fail attitude, individualism, independent thought, be adventurous and have a sense of curiosity.
The man who daydreamed about riding or running beside a sunbeam to the edge of the universe, shed light on social and intellectual issues, which are not related to the world of physics.
Albert Einstein Advice On Life
Now, let’s go through Albert Einstein advice on life quoted from various reliable sources.
“Life doesn’t make things easy for anyone. But it is lucky when we are able to emerge from our own uncomfortable confines to some extent and focus on objective matters that are beyond the wretchedness of life.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Leben fasst uns alle hart an. Aber ein Glück ist es, wenn man gewissermassen aus der eigenen unbequemen Haut fahren und sich um die objektiven Dinge bemühen kann, zu deren reiner Höhe der Jammer des Lebens nicht hinaufdringen kann. (German)
“The bitter and the sweet come from the outside, the hard from within, from one’s own efforts.” – Albert Einstein
“Das Bittere und das Süße kam von außen, das harte von innen, aus dem eigenen Streben.” (German)
“Strange is our situation here on earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men…” – Albert Einstein
“Wie merkwürdig ist die Situation von uns Erdenkindern! Für einen kurzen Besuch ist jeder da. Er weiß nicht wofür, aber manchmal glaubt er, es zu fühlen. Vom Standpunkt Des täglichen Lebens ohne tiefere Reflexion weiß man aber:man ist da für die anderen Menschen…” (German)
“The life of the individual has meaning only in so far as it aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful. Life is sacred, that is to say, it is the supreme value, to which all other values are subordinate.” – Albert Einstein
“Leben des Individuums hat nur Sinn im Dienst der Verschönerung und Veredelung des Lebens alles Lebendigen. Leben ist heilig, d.h. der höchste Wert, von dem alle Wertungen abhängen.” (German)
“Hunger, love, pain, fear are some of those inner forces which rule the individual’s instinct for self-preservation.” – Albert Einstein
“Hunger, Liebe, Schmerz, Furcht sind solche inneren Kräfte, die das Individuum lebenserhaltend beherrachen.” (German)
“We all know, from what we experience with and within ourselves, that our conscious acts spring from our desires and our fears.” – Albert Einstein
“Aus den Erfahrungen an uns selbst wissen wir, dass unser bewusstes Handeln durch unsere Wünsche und Befurchtungen bestimmt wird.” (German)
“Morality …is not a fixed and stark system. It is a task never finished, something that is always present to guide our judgment and inspire our conduct.” – Albert Einstein
“Die Moralität…ist kein starres System. Es ist eine endende Aufgabe, die stets unser Urteil leiten und unser Streben beleben soll.” (German)
“Everything is dominated by the cult of efficiency and of success, and not by the value of things and men in relation to the moral ends of human society.” – Albert Einstein
“Ueberall dominiert der Kultus der Tüchtigkeit und des Erfolges, nicht aber der Wert der Ding und Menschen vom Standpunkt des moralischen Zieles der Nenschheit.” (German)
“The difficulty, the real difficulty that has baffled the sages of all times, is this: how can we make our teaching so potent in the emotional life of man that its influence should withstand the pressure of the elemental psychic forces in the individual?” – Albert Einstein
“Die wahre Schwierigkeit, die den alten Weisen im Wege stand, gipfelt in der Frage: wie sollen wir unserer Lehre im Gefuhlsleben der Menschen eine solche Nacht verleihen, dass ihre Wirkung gegen die elementaren psychischen Krafte im Individuum aufkommen kann?” (German)
“…without tolerance in this widest sense there can be no question of true morality.” – Albert Einstein
“… ohne Toleranz in diesem weitesten Sinne kann von wahrer Moralität keine Rede sein.” (German)
“The value of achievement lies in the achieving.” – Albert Einstein
“Der Wert der Leistung liegt im Geleisteten.” (German)
“I am also convinced that one gains the purest joy from spiritual things only when they are not tied in with earning one’s livelihood.” – Albert Einstein
“Ich bin auch überzeugt, daß die Freude an geistigen Dingen am reinsten dort anzutreffen ist, wo diese nicht mit dem Broterwerb verknüpft ist.” (German)
“Everything that the human race has done and thought is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assuagement of pain.” – Albert Einstein
“Life is a great tapestry. The individual is only an insignificant thread in an immense and miraculous pattern.” – Albert Einstein.
“Sometimes… one pays most for things one gets for nothing.” – Albert Einstein
“Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being.” – Albert Einstein
“Man can find meaning in life, short and perilous as it is, only through devoting himself to society.” – Albert Einstein
“I believe with Schopenhauer: We can do what we wish, but we can only wish what we must. Practically, I am, nevertheless, compelled to act as if freedom of the will existed. If I wish to live in a civilized community, I must act as if man is a responsible being.” – Albert Einstein
“…the undeniable fact that the human will is not free.” – Albert Einstein
“… it seems to me fairly evident that physiological factors, especially our endocrines, control our destiny.” – Albert Einstein
“The only progress I can see is progress in organization. The ordinary human being does not live long enough to draw any substantial benefit from his own experience. And no one, it seems, can benefit by the experiences of others.” – Albert Einstein
“Being both a father and teacher, I know we can teach our children nothing. We can transmit to them neither our knowledge of life nor of mathematics. Each must learn its lesson anew.” – Albert Einstein
“Race is a fraud. All modern people are the conglomeration of so many ethnic mixtures that no pure race remains.” – Albert Einstein
“Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control…We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” – Albert Einstein
“Alles ist vorherbestimmt, Anfang wie Ende, durch Kräfte, über die wir keine Gewalt haben. …wir alle tanzen nach einer geheimnisvollen Melodie, die ein unsichtbarer Spieler in den Fernen des Weltalls anstimmt.” (German)
“Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as the star. Human beings, vegetables or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” – Albert Einstein
“One cannot help but in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.” – Albert Einstein
“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)
“A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” – Albert Einstein
“Jeden Tag denke ich unzählige Male daran, daß mein äußeres und inneres Leben auf der Arbeit der jetzigen und der schon verstorbenen Menschen beruht, daß ich mich anstrengen muß, um zu geben im gleichen Ausmaß, wie ich empfangen habe und noch empfange.” (German)
“I am strongly drawn to a frugal life and am often oppressively aware that I am engrossing an undue amount of the labor of my fellow-men.” – Albert Einstein
“Ich habe das Bedürfnis nach Genügsamkeit und habe oft das drückende Bewußtsein, mehr als nötig von der Arbeit meiner Mitmenschen zu beanspruchen.” (German)
“Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity.” – Albert Einstein
“Jeder handelt nicht nur unter äußerem Zwang, sonder nauch gemäß innerer Notwendigkeit.” (German)
“The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.” – Albert Einstein
“Meine Ideale, die mir voranleuchteten und mich mit frohem Lebensmut immer wieder erfüllten, waren Güte, Schönheit und Wahrheit.” (German)
“Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.” – Albert Einstein
“Jeder soll als Person respektiert und keiner vergöttert sein.” (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)
“A man’s value to the community depends primarily on how far his feelings, thoughts, and actions are directed towards promoting the good of his fellows.” – Albert Einstein
“Was ein Mensch für seine Gemeinschaft wert ist, hängt in erster Linie davon ab, inwieweit sein Fühlen, Denken und Handeln auf die Förderung des Daseins anderer Menschen gerichtet ist.” (German)
“I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in this cause. The example of great and pure characters is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds.” – Albert Einstein
“Ich bin fest davon durchdrungen, daß keine Reichtümer der Welt die Menschheit weiterbringen können, auch nicht in der Hand eines dem Ziele noch so ergebenen Menschen. Nur das Beispiel großer und reiner Persönlichkeiten kann zu edlen Auffassungen und Taten führen.” (German)
“We cannot despair of humanity, since we are ourselves human beings.” – Albert Einstein
“Wir können nicht an den Menschen verzweifeln, denn wir sind selbst Menschen.” (German)
“A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it.” – Albert Einstein
“Stilles bescheidenes Leben gibt mehr Glück als erfolgreiches Streben, verbunden mit beständiger Unruhe.” (German)
(The quote in German is found in: )
Note: From the note wrote by Albert Einstein which he gave it to a courier in Hotel Tokyo, Japan in 1922.
“Don’t be too hard on me. Everyone has to sacrifice at the altar of stupidity from time to time, to please the Deity and the human race.” – Albert Einstein
“…man has within him a lust for hatred and destruction. In normal times this passion exists in a latent state, it emerges only in unusual circumstances…” – Albert Einstein
“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
“A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.” – Albert Einstein
“I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue.” – Albert Einstein
“I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves…” – Albert Einstein
“In diesem Sinn nist mir Behagen und Glück nie als Selbstzweck erschienen…” (German)
Note: Another English translation is:
“To make goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me…” – Albert Einstein
“…one should not pursue goals that are too easily reached… An instinct must be developed for what is just barely attainable upon exertion of the utmost effort.” – Albert Einstein
“…nicht den Zielen nachgehen, deren Erreichung leicht ist. Man muss einen Instinkt darüber erlangen, was unter Aufbietung der äussersten Anstrengung gerade noch erreichbar ist.” (German)
“…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)
“I believe in one thing — that only a life lived for others is a life worth living.” – Albert Einstein
“Nur ein für andere gelebtes Leben ist lebenswert.” (German)
“I believe…that we don’t need to worry about what happens after this life, as long as we do our duty here – to love and to serve.” – Albert Einstein
“…it is not intellect, but intuition which advances humanity. Intuition tells man his purpose in this life.” – Albert Einstein
“The knowledge that I am now on this earth and a mysterious part of eternity is enough for me.” – Albert Einstein
“I believe the main task of the spirit is to free man from his ego.” – Albert Einstein
“You can spend your whole life trying to prove what you believe; you may hunt for reasons, but it will all be in vain. Yet our beliefs are like our existence; they are facts. If you don’t yet know what to believe in, then try to learn what you feel and desire.” – Albert Einstein
“Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living.” – Albert Einstein
“I do not need any promise of eternity to be happy… My eternity is now. I have only one interest: to fulfill my purpose here where I am.” – Albert Einstein
“The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while.” – Albert Einstein
“Dem Streben, Weisheit und Macht zu vereinigen, war nur selten und nur auf kurze Zeit Erfolg beschieden.” (German)
“…let us not forget that knowledge and skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life.” – Albert Einstein
“Our bodies are like prisons, and I look forward to be free, but I don’t speculate on what will happen to me. I live here now, and my responsibility is in this world now…” – Albert Einstein
“Only in a free society is man able to create the inventions and cultural values which make life worthwhile to modern man.” – Albert Einstein
“People are like the sea, sometimes smooth and friendly, sometime stormy and treacherous. But after all, they are just water.” – Albert Einstein
“Die Menschen sind wie das Meer, manchmal glatt und freundlich, manchmal stürmisch und tückisch – aber eben in der Hauptsache nur Wasser.” (German)
“It is not that difficult if you are not fishing for praise but are content with being useful.” – Albert Einstein.
“The ordinary objects of human endeavour–property, outward success, luxury – have always seemed to me contemptible.” – Albert Einstein
“Die banalen Ziele menschlichen Strebens: Besitz, äußerer Erfolg, Luxus, erschienen mir seit meinen jungen Jahren verächtlich.” (German)
“…the world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it.” – Albert Einstein
“…le monde court un plus grand danger de la part de ceux qui tolèrent le mal ou l’encouragent que de la part de ceux-là mêmes qui le commettent.” (French)
“Race is a fraud. All modern people are the conglomeration of so many ethnic mixtures that no pure race remains.” – Albert Einstein
“The finest things in life include having a clear grasp of correlations; only in a very dismal, nihilistic mood could you deny this, surely.” – Albert Einstein
“Es gehört zum Schönsten im Leben, Zusammenhänge klar zu überschauen; das könnten Sie doch nur in einer ganz trüben, nihilistischen Stimmung leugnen.” (German)
“…we should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.” – Albert Einstein
“…Wir sollten uns davor hüten, den Intellekt zu unserem Gott zu machen. Gewiss, er hat starke Muskeln, jedoch keine Persönlichkeit.” (German)
“I also believe that a simple and unassuming life is good for everybody, physically and mentally.” – Albert Einstein
“Auch glaube ich, daß ein schlichtes und anspruchsloses äußeres Leben für jeden gut ist, für Körper und Geist.” (German)
“As long as I am able to work, I must not and will not complain, because work is the only thing that gives substance to life.” – Albert Einstein
“Aber solange ich arbeiten kann, darf und will ich mich nicht beklagen, denn dies ist das einzige, was dem Leben einen wirklichen Inhalt gibt.” (German)
“As a social being, he seeks to gain the recognition and affection of his fellow human beings, to share in their pleasures, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to improve their conditions of life.” – Albert Einstein
Note: All the above Albert Einstein advice on life are quoted from reliable sources.
*Here is a selection of authentic Albert Einstein thought process quotations with full citations.
Comments are closed.