This selection of Albert Einstein views on aging will make you feel grateful of old age and also a take on the follies of youth.
Besides being a brilliant man of groundbreaking discoveries in physics, he was also the man of immense wisdom, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
During his days, Einstein correspondent a lot with his family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers.
In his many mails, Einstein shared many nuggets of wisdom on grief, eternity, the follies of the human race, God, and the privilege of old age.
Sadly, on April 18, 1955, at the age of 76, Einstein passed away from an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
On the table next to him were a pen and pad on which the late theoretical physicist was working through math equations.
Albert Einstein Views On Aging
Now let’s check out Albert Einstein views on aging and the follies of youth.
“…I have remained a simple fellow who asks nothing of the world – only my youth is gone, the enchanting youth that walks forever on air.” – Albert Einstein
“…ein simpler Kerl bin ich geblieben, der der Welt nichts nachfragt-nur die Jugend ist hin, die entzückende, die alle Tage den Himmel voll Bassgeigen sieht.” (German)
“I lived in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in maturity.” – Albert Einstein
“Ich lebte in einer Einsamkeit, die in der Jugend schmerzlich, in den Jahren der Reife aber köstlich ist” (German)
“There is, after all, something eternal that lies beyond the reach of the hand of fate and of all human delusions. And such eternals lie closer to an older person than to a younger one who oscillates between fear and hope. For us, there remains the privilege of experiencing beauty and truth in their purest forms.” – Albert Einstein
“At our age, the devil doesn’t give you much time off!” – Albert Einstein
“…in unserem Alter wird der Teufel pride mit dem Urlauberteilen!” (German)
“People like you and me, though mortal, of course, like everyone else, do not grow old no matter how long we live. What I mean is that we never cease to stand like curious children before the great Mystery into which we are born.” – Albert Einstein
“Though I am now an old fogey, I am still hard at work and still refuse to believe that God plays dice.” – Albert Einstein
“Obwohl ich nun ein alter Knochen bin, bin ich noch fest bei der Arbeit und glaube immer noch nicht, daß Gott würfelt.” (German)
“All of one’s contemporaries and aging friends are living in a delicate balance, and one feels that one’s own consciousness is no longer as brightly lit as it once was. But then, twilight with its more subdued colors has its charms as well.” – Albert Einstein
“I feel like an egg, of which only the shell remains at 75 years old, one can’t expect anything else. One should prepare a person for his death.” – Albert Einstein
Note: During his later years, Einstein liked to called himself “empty eggshell“, as shown in his letter to friend Heinrich Zangger.
“What do you want from an old wreck or empty eggshell like me?” – Albert Einstein
“Was wollen Sie denn von einer Ruine oder von einem ausgebrüteten Ei?” (German)
“I [have] always loved solitude, a trait that tends to increase with age.” – Albert Einstein
(The Ultimate Quotable Einstein Collected And Edited By Alice Calaprice, With A Foreword By Freeman Dyson, Princeton University Press, 2010, On Aging, P. 57) source
Note: To Emesta Pelizza Marangoni, October 1, 1952. You can read about Einstein and the Marangoni family over here.
“In one’s youth every person and every event appear to be unique. With age, one becomes much more aware that similar events recur. Later on, one is less often delighted or surprised, but also less disappointed.” – Albert Einstein
“…as I’m getting older and I have the sense of distance to life that older people tend to develop.” – Albert Einstein
“I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.” – Albert Einstein
“Ich glaube nicht an die Unsterblichkeit des Individuums, und ich halte Ethik für ein ausschließlich menschliches Unterfangen, hinter dem keine übermenschliche Autorität steht.” (German)
“Youth is always the same, endlessly the same.” – Albert Einstein
Note: All the above Albert Einstein views on aging and youth are quoted from authentic sources.
*Here is a great list of authentic Albert Einstein thoughts on God and religion, that linked to reliable sources.