“Our behavior should be motivated by the ever-present realization that human beings in their thoughts, feelings and actions are not free agents, but are subject to the inexorable laws of cause and effect as are the stars in their courses.”
“Thermodynamics is the only physical theory of universal content that will never be overthrown.”
See main: Einstein on purpose; See also: Einstein-Pascal dialogueIn December 1950, Einstein received a long handwritten letter from a nineteen-year-old engineering student at Rutgers University who said “My problem is this, sir, ‘What is the purpose of man on earth?’” Dismissing such possible answers as to make money, to achieve fame, and to help others, the student said “Frankly, sir, I don’t even know why I’m going to college and studying engineering.” The student went on to express his opinion that man is here “for no purpose at all” and went on to quote from French mathematical physicist Blaise Pascal’s (IQ=190) Pensees (Thoughts) the following words, which he said aptly summed up his own feelings on the matter: [20]
“I know not who put me into the world, nor what the world is, nor what I myself am. I am in terrible ignorance of everything. I know not what my body is, nor my senses, nor my soul, not ever that part of me which thinks what I say, which reflects on all and on itself, and knows itself no more than the rest. I see those frightful spaces of the universe which surround me, and I find myself tied to one corner of this vast expanse, without knowing why I am put in this place rather than another, nor why this short time which is given me to live is assigned to me at this point rather than at another of the whole eternity which was before me or which shall come after me. I see nothing but infinities on all sides, which surround me as an atom, and as a shadow which endures only for an instant and returns no more. All I know is that I must die, but what I know least is this very death which I cannot escape.”
Significance of key terms from Einstein's collected papers (1879-1902) indicating that "temperature" was the most dominate scientific term of this period. |
Significance of key terms from Einstein's collected papers (1900-1909) indicating that "entropy" was the most dominate scientific term of this period. |
Einstein kept a bust of Goethe in his study, along with pictures of Faraday, Newton, and Maxwell, and in his personal library the most-represented author was the work of Goethe in a thirty-six volume edition and another of twelve volumes, plus two volumes on his Optics, the exchange of letters between Goethe and Schiller, and a separate volume of Faust. [16] |
“According to the assumption to be contemplated here, when a light ray is spread from a point, the energy is not distributed continuously over ever-increasing spaces, but consists of a finite number of energy quanta that are localized in points in space, move without dividing, and can be absorbed or generated only as a whole.”
See also: Einstein's personal libraryThe complete scholarly edition of The Writings of Albert Einstein, according to Princeton University Press, constitutes about twenty volumes. On 17 Mar 1932, on the hundredth anniversary of Goethe's dereaction (death), Einstein wrote, in his auto-biographical answers to a questionnaire about his achievements and publications, in the process of becoming a member of the Kaiser Leopold German Academy of Scientists, the following: [15]
“My publications consist almost entirely of short papers in physics, most of which have appeared in Annalen der Physik and the Proceedings of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. The most important of which have to do with the following topics: Brownian motion (1905), theory of Planck's formula and light quanta (1905, 1917), special relativity and the mass of energy (1906), general relativity (1916).”According to Google Books analysis of key term usage as found in the collected papers of Einstein, the mindset of his twenties, from 1900 to 1909, was most dominated by the word "entropy". [14] The first 25 of Einstein’s first 30 published papers, of over 300 in total, were in thermodynamics. [12] Thermodynamics played a special role in Einstein's early search for a unified theory of physics. [13]
Some of the books in Einstein's personal library. |
See main: DeterminismOn whether or not the laws of science applied to humans, Einstein stated: [15]
“Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the actions of people.”Seed of drive
Three-meter-tall sculpture of Einstein's E = mc² formula at the 2006 Walk of Ideas, Germany. |
See main: Einstein on loveThe following are Einstein's thoughts on the subject of love: [11]
“Gravitation cannot be responsible for people falling in love.”
A retouched photo showing Einstein's famous "thermodynamics forever" or "thermodynamics will never be overthrown" quote. [17] |
“In the course of the last four months it had been made probable—through the work of Joliot in France as well as Fermi and Szilard in America—that it may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium, by which vast amounts of power and large quantities of new radium-like elements would be generated. Now it appears almost certain that this could be achieved in the immediate future.This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable—though much less certain—that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However, such bombs might very well prove to be too heavy for transportation by air.”
An Einstein photo (Ѻ) from an article on the “Lieserl love letter hoax”. (Ѻ) |
See main: Einstein on religion; Einstein on godThe following are a few quotes by Einstein on god and or religion:
“Thus, I came to a deep religiosity, which, however, reached an abrupt end at the age of 12. Through the reading of popular scientific books, I soon reached a conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true. Suspicion against every kind of authority grew out of this experience, an attitude that has never left me.”— Albert Einstein (c.1950), in FSM app
“I do not believe in a personal god and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.”— Albert Einstein (1954), reply letter to an Italian-born American atheist on clarification of his religious views, Mar 24
“I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal god is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.”— Albert Einstein (c.1950), Source
“Dear professor Freud, it is admirable the way the longing to perceive the truth has overcome every other desire in you. You have shown with irresistible clearness who inseparably the combative and destructive instincts are bound up with the amative and vital ones in the human psyche. At the same time a deep yearning for that great consummation, the internal and external liberation of mankind from war, shines out from the ruthless logic of your expositions. This has been the declared aim of all those who have been honored as moral and spiritual leaders beyond the limits of their own time and country without exception, from Jesus Christ to Goethe and Kant.”— Albert Einstein (1932), “Letter to Sigmund Freud” [25]
“The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends.”— Albert Einstein (1954), Letter to Gutkind (Jan 3) (Ѻ)
See main: Einstein on the soulIn 1921, Einstein received a letter from a woman in Vienna imploring him to tell her if he had formed an opinion as to whether the soul exists and with it personal, individual development after death; on 5 Feb 1921, Einstein answered the following: [15]
“The mystical trend of our time, which shows itself particularly in the rampant growth of the so-called theosophy and spiritualism, is for me no more than a symptom of weakness and confusion. Since our inner experiences consist of reproductions and combinations of sensory impressions, the concept of soul without a body seems to me empty and devoid of meaning.”In 1929, Einstein stated the following about his views on the question of god and soul:
“We followers of Spinoza see our God in the wonderful order and lawfulness of all that exists and in its soul (‘Beseeltheit’) as it reveals itself in man and animal. It is a different question whether belief in a personal God should be contested. Freud endorsed this view in his latest publication. I myself would never engage in such a task. For such a belief seems to me preferable to the lack of any transcendental outlook of life, and I wonder whether one can ever successfully render to the majority of mankind a more sublime means in order to satisfy its metaphysical needs.”On 17 Jul 1953, in a response letter to a female Baptist pastor who queried him in regards to his views on soul, God, and everlasting life, Einstein replied: [15]— Albert Einstein (1929), “Letter to Eduard Busching” (Oct 29); after Büsching sent Einstein a copy of his book Es gibt keinen Gott [There Is no God] [28]
“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.”
“I want to go when I want. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially; I have done my share, it is time to go. I will do it elegantly.”
Einstein's brain is reported to have had more glial cells, in the left parietal lobe (above), a larger and more myelinated corpus callosum, and possibly a higher right frontal cortex neuronal density. [27] |
See main: Einstein’s brainWithin seven hours of his reaction end, his brain was removed by American pathologist Thomas Harvey and had it cut into 240 blocks for study; sending tissue slides to several neuropathologists, who reported nothing exotic. The remaining brain sections floated in two mason jars of formaldehyde, inside of a cardboard box marked Costa Cider, under a beer cooler in Harvey’s office.
An artistic depiction of the classic Einstein quote: “Education is the progressive realization of our ignorance.” |
“Centuries from now the man in the street will know of our time as the period of the [First] World War, but the educated man will associate the first quarter of our century with your name [Einstein], just as today some people think of the end of the seventeenth-century as the time of the wars of Louis XIV and others as the time of Newton.”— Fritz Haber (1929), letter to Einstein on the occasion of his 50th birthday [15]
Quotes | Un-Dated
“Really, it would have been better if I had never been born. Sometimes the only thought that sustains me and is my only refuge from despair is that I have always done everything I could within my small power, and that year in, year out, I have never permitted myself any amusements or diversions except those afforded by my studies.”— Albert Einstein (1898), "Letter to sister" [15]
“Nernst and Planck acted like people who wanted to get hold of a rare postage stamp.”— Albert Einstein (1913), commentary on Walther Nernst and Max Planck’s summer travel to Zurich in attempts to recruit him to the University of Berlin, with offers of his own Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, full professorship, without any teaching duties, and lucrative salary [29]
“I, too, was originally supposed to become an engineer. But I found the idea intolerable of having to apply the inventive faculty to matters that make everyday life more elaborate—and all, just for dreary money-making. Thinking for its own sake, as in music! … When I have no special problem to occupy my mind, I love to reconstruct proofs of mathematical and physical theorems that have long been known to me. There is no goal in this, merely an opportunity to indulge in the pleasant occupation of thinking.”— Albert Einstein (1918), "Letter to Heinrich Zangger" [15]
“With fame I become more and more stupid, which, of course, is a very common phenomenon.”— Albert Einstein (1919), "Letter to Heinrich Zangger, Dec [15]“I admire Goethe as one of the smartest and wisest men of all time.”— Albert Einstein (1932), "Comment to Leopold Casper", Apr 9 [24]“Read no newspapers, try to find a few good friends who think as you do, read the wonderful writers of earlier times, Kant, Goethe, Lessing, and the classics of other lands, and enjoy the natural beauties of [the] surroundings.”— Albert Einstein (1933), "Advice to troubled despondent jobless Munich musician", Apr 5“Everything is determined … 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 piper.”— Albert Einstein (1936), "Response letter to sixth grade Sunday School student as to whether or not scientists pray", Jan 24 [15]“Life and death flow into one, and there is neither evolution nor destiny, only being.”— Albert Einstein (1939), "Letter to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium" [22]
“Great [individuals] have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.”— Albert Einstein (1940), "Letter to Morris Cohen, Mar 19 [23]“Objectively, there is, after all, no free will.”— Albert Einstein (1946), "Letter to Otto Juliusburger", Apr 11“My scientific work is motivated by an irresistible longing to understand the secrets of nature and by no other feeling.”— Albert Einstein (1949), "Reply letter on a query about his scientific motivation", Aug 20 [15]“Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one’s living at it. One should earn one’s living by work of which one is sure one is capable. Only when we do not have to be accountable to anyone can we find joy in scientific endeavor.”— Albert Einstein (1951), "Reply letter to female student thinking about becoming a professional astronomer", Mar 24
“Don’t bother me, I want to study.”— Albert Einstein (c1925), comment to second wife Elsa Einstein [m.1919-1936]; as reported by Angela Jabari (2017) as seen somewhere
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”— Albert Einstein (c.1930)
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”— Albert Einstein (c.1930)
“Education is the progressive realization of our ignorance.”— Albert Einstein (c.1930)
“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”— Albert Einstein (c.1930)
“The formulation of the problem is often more essential then its solution which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill.”— Albert Einstein (c.1930) (Ѻ)
See also“Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That signifies nothing. For those of us who believe in physics, the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”— Albert Einstein (1955), letter of condolence to the family of his lifelong friend Michele Besso, who had just passed away (Ѻ); Einstein, himself, dereacted a month later
An Einstein original quote, or a paraphrase of Ernest Rutherford (see: barmaid explanations). |