Words of Wisdom: Albert Einstein

(1879 - 1955)

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

A German-born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass-energy equivalence, E = mc2. Born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879, this Jewish, Nobel Prize winning genius dazzled the world with his intelect and has been remembered through the world of science as well as popular culture.

Modern day movies and novels were even based on or showed reference to his life as well as showing parts of his sense of humour. Einstein's occasional unruly hairstyle as well as comical nature has helped make him more popular in popular culture - even before he died. While being named Person of the Century in 2000 by Time magazine, writer Frederic Golden wrote that Einstein was "a cartoonist's dream come true." (2000)


Albert Einstein as Person of the Century on the cover of TIME Magazine (December 31, 1999 Vol. 154 No. 27)


"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

"Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish."

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts."

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."

"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible."

"If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith."

"Man usually avoids attributing cleverness to somebody else
-- unless it is an enemy."

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

"If A equals success, then the formula is _ A = _ X + _ Y + _ Z. _ X is work. _ Y is play. _ Z is keep your mouth shut."

Albert Einstein, when asked to describe radio, replied:
"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."

"God doesn't play dice."

"God may be subtle, but He isn't plain mean."

"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"

"Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love."

"Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty."




References:


http://www.phys.northwestern.edu/images/einstein_bike.jpg



http://www.humboldt1.com/~gralsto/einstein/quotes.html


Golden, Frederic (Jan. 3, 2000), "Person of the Century: Albert Einstein", Time. Retrieved on 2006-02-25