Albert Einstein

“Everyone sits in the prison of his own ideas. A human being is a part of the whole called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

“How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people — first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. 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.”

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”

“The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.”

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

“We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.”

“What a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice.”

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.”

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others...for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”

“Logic will get you from A to Z: imagination will get you everywhere.”