I just love this picture of Einstein. Despite his utter genious, he usually just looks like a crazy guy holding chalk after testing the effects of sticking his finger in a power point.
But this is the kind of expression I want to grow into naturally – one that is connected to something great, full of life, a little eccentric, confident and happy – to reflect my insides to the out.
Despite the illusion of our separateness, Einstein – like many other wise souls – knew that we are all just one big living entity, mirroring each others spirits as we breath this big ol’ world in together. He said:
“A human being is a part of a 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.”
Read on for more cool Einstein wisdoms, let loose during a life well-documented…
- “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
- “I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest are details.”
- “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
- “The only real valuable thing is intuition.”
- “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result.”
- “A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.”
- “I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice.”
- “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.”
- “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
- “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.”
- “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”
- “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the the universe.”
- “Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.”
- “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
Which Einstein quote resonates most strongly with you? And, why?