German-born theoretical physicist; originator of the theory of relativity on Einstein: see Anonymous (43), Squire (2)
1. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
Science, Philosophy and Religion: a Symposium (1941) ch. 13
2. E = mc2.
(the usual form of Einstein's original statement: 'If a body releases the energy L in the form of radiation, its mass is decreased by L/V2')
in Annalen der Physik 18 (1905)
3. God is subtle but he is not malicious.
remark made during a week at Princeton beginning 9 May 1921, later carved above the fireplace of the Common Room of Fine Hall (the Mathematical Institute), Princeton University; R. W. Clark Einstein (1973) ch. 14
4. I am convinced that He [God] does not play dice.
(often quoted as: 'God does not play dice')
letter to Max Born, 4 December 1926; in Einstein und Born Briefwechsel (1969)
5. If my theory of relativity is proven correct, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.
address at the Sorbonne, Paris, possibly early December 1929, in New York Times 16 February 1930
6. I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
in an interview, given on the Belgenland, December 1930
7. The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility…The fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle.
(usually quoted as 'The most incomprehensible fact about the universe is that it is comprehensible')
in Franklin Institute Journal March 1936 'Physics and Reality'
8. Some recent work by E. Fermi and L. Szilard, which has been communicated to me in manuscript, leads me to expect that the element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future. Certain aspects of the situation which has arisen seem to call for watchfulness and, if necessary, quick action on the part of the Administration.
(warning of the possible development of an atomic bomb, and leading to the setting up of the Manhattan Project)
letter to Franklin Roosevelt, 2 August 1939, drafted by Leo Szilard and signed by Einstein
9. The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.
telegram to prominent Americans, 24 May 1946, in New York Times 25 May 1946
10. If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.
in Observer 15 January 1950
11. Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.
Lincoln Barnett The Universe and Dr Einstein (1950 ed.)
12. The grand aim of all science [is] to cover the greatest number of empirical facts by logical deduction from the smallest possible number of hypotheses or axioms.
Lincoln Barnett The Universe and Dr Einstein (1950 ed.)
13. If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances.
in Reporter 18 November 1954
14. The distinction between past, present and future is only an illusion, however persistent.
letter to Michelangelo Besso, 21 March 1955
15. Nationalism is an infantile sickness. It is the measles of the human race.
Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman Albert Einstein, the Human Side (1979)
16. One must divide one's time between politics and equations. But our equations are much more important to me.
C. P. Snow 'Einstein' in M. Goldsmith et al. (eds.) Einstein (1980)
17. When I was young, I found out that the big toe always ends up making a hole in a sock. So I stopped wearing socks.
to Philippe Halsman; A. P. French Einstein: A Centenary Volume (1979)
From The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
