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Reading after a certain (time) diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. The environment is everything that isn't me. I can't believe that God plays dice with the universe. If my theory of relativity is proven successful, 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. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received. Most people go on living their everyday life: frightened, half indifferent, they behold the ghostly tragi-comedy that has been performed on the international stage before the eyes and ears of the world. We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18. It is the theory that decides what can be observed. The world is a dangerous place to live - not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don't do anything about it. Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. As far as the laws of Mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. Science is the attempt to make the chaotic diversity of our sense-experience correspond to a logically uniform system of thought. No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong. I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right, E = MC^2: Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. A successful man is he who receives a great deal from his fellow men, usually incomparably more than corresponds to his service to them. The value of a man, however, should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, you think it's only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That's relativity. If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. How do I work? I grope. It is the theory which decided what can be observed. Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools. Only a life lived for others is a life worth while. The deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God. God is clever, but not dishonest. Everything should be made as simple as possible ... but not simpler. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind. When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute, and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity. I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Try not to become a man of success, but rather a man of value. A successful man is he who receives a great deal from his fellow men, usually incomparably more than corresponds to his service to them. The value of a man, however, should be seen in what he gives, and not in what he is able to receive. I think and think for months, for years. Ninety-nine times the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right. I think and think for months, for years. Ninety-nine times the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right. No, this trick won't work. . . . How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. An empty stomach is not a good political adviser. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. |