Albert Einstein is one of the most brilliant people ever lived, who changed the way we view our universe today. Born in Germany in 1879, he later moved to Switzerland and specialised in subjects of Physics and Mathematics. After failing at procuring a teaching position, he ended up working as an assistant in a Patent Office in Bern. It was here, where he first encountered questioning insights about the nature of light, space and time.
He developed the theory of relativity, which forms the fundamentals of modern physics. He also gave the world, most famous equation of mass-energy equivalence. He published more than 300 scientific papers, 150 non-scientific works and was awarded 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics. Following are some of the famous quotes by Albert Einstein.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
For people, it is easier to accept ideas which reinforce their already existing belief system. It is difficult for us to wrap our head around ideas that challenge our understanding of the world. Hence, many times whenever a new thought is put out, it will receive a lot of opposition, no matter how true and good it might be.
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors 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.
He recognises the achievements of others and how their efforts have made his work better. No matter which field you work in, people who came before us brought something new which either becomes a benchmark or lie around as a guide which can be used when in need. Not just in work but also our personal life too, good changes contributed by people before us, affect us directly or indirectly and makes our life easier. This thought drives him to do the same and contribute something to society.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
It becomes necessary to break complex things down to smaller fundamental bits so that we can understand it better. Einstein encourages that and asks to make things as simple as possible but only until it reaches a level where breaking down more will lead to loss of its essence.
I believe in standardising automobiles. I do not believe in standardising human beings.
He believes every person should value their uniqueness. We shouldn’t be compared to others, for each of us receives different upbringing, have to overcome different obstacles and might have arrived through different paths. And this is what makes us special. Our these unique qualities help us contribute novel solutions and insights. We shouldn’t be forced to conform to certain standards as standardisation is for machines, not humans.
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
Don’t judge others by how they perform in a job that is not as per their skills and talent. Let them follow the paths which they have the aptitude for. For you cant compare a doctor to a driver, both have completely different skills, but both are significant for the smooth functioning of the world.
I love to travel, but I hate to arrive.
He is trying to say that he enjoys the journey towards the goal rather than achieving the goal. He says the period when he is pursuing something, provides him with so much knowledge. It opens him up to more questions, forcing him to imagine and arrive at more solutions rather than just one goal he had decided initially. Working passionately every day is what gives him happiness and sense of achievement.
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
No matter how busy you are in your job or daily chores, do not forget to enjoy the beauty that life offers every day. In this race towards success, we get so carried away that we forget to notice the simple wonders that are continuously happening around us without requiring any input from our end. These are the fascinating things in life that come to us easily and makes life worth living.
The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance.
He believes that an ignorant person will try to learn and dispel his ignorance. However, an arrogant person who has an inflated view of his knowledge and capabilities will never learn anything and improve his skills. An ignorant person will never take up a task that he does not know of while an arrogant man will take it up even if he lacks the basic skills and will end up failing badly.
Truth is what stands the test of experience.
There are many things we go on believing to be true. Most of these might be which we haven’t experienced first-hand and just accepted a few rumours and stories without questioning them. Einstein suggests making your belief system simpler by putting each of them to the test of experience. If they don’t work in the real world, lose them. An idea that comes out to be true even after years of direct experience is the only truth.
I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.
He talks about treating everyone with equality irrespective of their social stature.
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Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.
Most of us don’t think on our own. We don’t question everything around us and just accept whatever piece of information is given to us. We even ignore our own feelings and thoughts and start believing whatever others tell us.
Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore
People who don’t have enough self-esteem will become bothered by how others treat them. This is what he calls a weakness. People with stronger character will forgive whoever had hurt them. However, there are also people who are so committed to their own happiness and success that they ignore everything else that is not going to further their goals.
All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.
He believes that all the subjects, all the different areas of learning, find its foundation in a single truth or entity. He was a theoretical physicist, who liked playing the violin in his free time and also spent a good amount of time in contemplation over religion and philosophy. He believes all these disciplines of study are trying to understand the same concepts- the truth about our existence and universe, our purpose in this life and the role of God in all of this.
It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry
Einstein always criticised the education system for its instructive approach. He reproached it for not encouraging curiosity and question-everything attitude. However, he is surprised that the dull and linear process of educating has not stifled students inquisitiveness. He believes our curiosity is pure and sacred and should be generously encouraged.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
Knowledge is one part of creating something valuable. Another part is the imagination. He believes imagination can be more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited to facts and figures which have already been studied and proven. While they can provide the basics for your research or creation, your imagination is what will make the work great. Imagination is unlimited and can be used to derive answers for all the mysteries in the world.
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.
Don’t strive for success but for qualities that make a successful man. The moment of achievement is short-lived if achieved at all. But the value which you learn in your journey will stay with you forever. They will help you become strong enough to strive for any goal.
A question that sometimes drives me hazy — am I or are the others crazy?
People with exceptionally brilliant minds, who bring a creative solution to the problems and find out-of-the-box methods to reach goals are many times questioned for their sanity. Which often lead them to question themselves too. Their quirks many times are mistaken for craziness. As long as these ’crazy’ ideas are used for the improvement of society, they can be accepted in the ‘sane’ category.
Science can flourish only in an atmosphere of free speech.
Freedom is necessary for people to think and be creative. Science or for that matter any other discipline cannot flourish unless people are free to choose their education; allowed to study whatever they want; allowed to experiment, experience and travel and more importantly permitted to fail.
All I have is the stubbornness of a mule; no, that’s quite all, I also have a nose.
He is trying to say that he does not possess any unnatural talent or skills that gives him leverage over others. All he has is stubbornness and that’s what makes him different than others, more successful than his peers. He is stubborn enough to work on a problem for long periods until he finds a solution. He also takes a jibe at his appearance, commenting that he has a rather fleshier nose compared to others, which says a lot about his humility and ability to be able to laugh at himself.
Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather from love and devotion toward men and toward objective things
If you don’t love your job and treats it just as a means to an end, you are never going to contribute anything to the world. Only when you are driven towards a cause, one that is noble and intended towards the betterment of the world, will you make your work valuable for others.
Conclusion
In this article, so far, we have covered some of the best Albert Einstein Quotes on Education, Life and Imagination.
Co-author: Shreya Arya
A digital marketing enthusiast with experience in HR and hospital management, Shreya has wide interests ranging from philosophy, psychology to latest trends in automation. She is also a freelance content writer and loves lending beautiful words to ideas and feelings.
