Einstein: Way More Than Physics

Einstein continues to inspire me with every quote I read.  The man was so much more than a brilliant physicist.  He pushed the boundary of scientific and social acceptance.  He had a beautiful view of life that focused on respect and compassion.  That alone made him one of the most brilliant men this world has ever seen.

“Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions."

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”  

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” 

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”  

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

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”  

“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.” 

“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 feeling 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.”