Talk:Albert Einstein

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[edit] Bhagavad Gita quote

Very much doubt Einstein ever said that, but perhaps someone can provide a source? It's just hindu propaganda methinks..

[edit] Quote meanings

I removed some meanings from quotes where it seemed the meaning was superfluous or detracted from the quote. Feel free to discuss here if you feel some should be added back. Nanobug 03:08 3 Aug 2003 (UTC)

[edit] "E=mc²" a quote?

Since when is "E=mc²" a quote? Are we going to start keeping formulas in Wikiquote? Nanobug 21:01, 18 Aug 2003 (UTC)

It isn't a quote so should not be included. -fonzy

"Bartlett's Familiar Quotation's" includes it, in the editions that I own. —Kalki

I would replace it with Einstein's wording of the equation taken from a recording of him- that would then be a quote.


That raises a more generic question - how much stock should we place on what other lists of quotations do, even ones as famous as Bartlett's? Nanobug 00:22, 7 Sep 2003 (UTC)
It's not even Einstein, but Olinto de Pretto.

Einstien can be quoted as saying "E=mc²" ... E=mc&sup2.mp3 ... you can transcribe it if you want ... It should be included. Reddi [I got it transcribed Reddi 15:11, 3 Nov 2003 (UTC) ]

[edit] Mathematician?

"Mathematician"? to what theorems did he contribute? "Mathematical or theoretical physicist", certainly; but I question "Mathematician" (ditto the main article).

"Mathematician"? Yep ... Einstein was well versed in mathematics.
To what theorems did he contribute? You don't have to contribute to a theorem to be a Mathematician.
He was also a theoretical physicist and experimental physicist (he got his nobel for the later not the prior)
Sincerely Reddi

[edit] Relativity-girl-stove

Can someone elaborate on why the quote on relativity-girl-stove got changed again? I assume that Scientific American would be a reliable source, no? If the current version comes from an even better source, can someone tell me what it is?

I e-mailed the person who made the changes, and he said he got his version from the Internet. I'm more inclined to believe that SciAm is a more reliable source than the Internet. Therefore, I've changed it back, and also took the liberty to move the quote to the verified section.

[edit] Mathematician redux

Regarding the bit about Einstein being a Mathematician, being well versed in Mathematics does not make one a mathematician. Furthermore, the term well-versed is subjective at best. While many laypeople would consider most physicists to be well-versed in mathematics, we mathematicians generally would only consider a mathematician to be someone who publishes work on (usually) abstract mathmatics. Note publishes, note abstract. A paper on physics, or chemistry, or, hell, island biogeography may contain a substantial amount of math. But in this context it is being used as a tool to model the real world; mathematicians study math for its own sake. Mathematicians with a predominant interest in the mathematics of physics are generally called "mathematical physicists". Einstein, as much as we all love him, was not either of these things. His primary interest was physics, and his published papers were also on physics. There is no evidence that he even tinkered in Math for its own sake. Heck, the math in his papers wasn't even much more advanced than linear algebra, PDEs and tensor algebra, all things that I studied as an undergrad, and none of them new mathematically -- he relied heavily on Reimannian geometry and Differential topology concepts, none of them new when his paper was published, and certainly none authored by him.

As you probably are neither a physicist nor a mathematician, let me let you know: there is a certain about of (friendly) rivalry between the two disciplines, and mathematicians and physicists both often resent being misappropriated. Einstein was a physicist, and a good one, but he was not a mathematician.

[edit] Accuracy of quote

The sentence that reads:

The equivalency of matter and energy was originally expressed in the equation m = L/c², which with trivial changes became the far more well known E = mc².

Since this is mathematically inaccurate, I suspect he didn't say it, rather he likely said

Δm = L/c²

[edit] Organizing these...

These quotes are pretty disorganized right now. I will probably try to add a few, organizing the sourced ones chronologically, and the attributed alphapbetically tonight or tomorrow. ~ Achilles 21:41, 29 Nov 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Mathematician

He was a physicist, not a mathematician. No mathematicians consider him one, no physicists consider him one, no historians consider him one. Smart guy, good at math, not a "mathematician," which is a specific discipline separate from theoretical physics. Some people were both. Einstein was not. This is nothing negative. See [1].

[edit] Rule of the dumb

Is there an english version of "Die Herrschaft der Dummen ist unüberwindlich, weil es so viele sind und ihre Stimmen genauso zählen wie unsere"? Loosely translated: "The ruling of the dumb people can't be overcome because there are so many of them, and their voice counts as much as ours". Thanks w:User:Chris 73 10:57, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious.

does anyone know if this is truly a quote by Einstein or if it is in fact by Hans Selye like here http://scienceweek.com/2001/sw010316.htm. I heard it was misatributed to einstein possibly due to it being an unatributed quote in The world as I see it http://lib.ru/FILOSOF/EJNSHTEJN/theworld_engl.txt wish i could remember the book i read that in. Thought it might have been in life in the cosmos but couldn't find it.

--- Here it is: "The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man." -- Einstein, “What I Believe,” originally written in 1930 and recorded for the German League for Human Rights. It was published as “The World as I See It” in Forum and Century, 1930; in Living Philosphies (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1931); in The World As I See It, 1-5; in Ideas and Opinions, 8-11. The versions are all translated somewhat differently and have slight revisions.WalterIsaacson

[edit] removing a recent addition

I doubt the authenticity of many "quotations" of Einstein that are often provided without a source, including several on the article page, but some of these have circulated for years. I am removing one from the page that seems to be of very recent creation, and almost certainly spurious, :


In the view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for supporting such views. (p.97)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/069110297X

Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology (Paperback)

isbn - 069110297X

I can find no evidence that this "quotation" existed anywhere on the web, nor anywhere in the entire world, prior to its posting here on 23 April 2005. At present the only other hits that I encounter in a Google search are of a very few sites, where the material of the entire page has plainly been derived from that of Wikiquote. I am strongly inclined to believe that this is simply a made-up statement by someone who does not much knowledge of the complex opinions of Einstein, nor much of an attachment to the ideals of rigorous veracity which he greatly exhibited. Over the years I have read many of Einstein's own writings, much about him, and have encountered numerous quotations of Einstein that make plain his general embrace of both the importance of a "cosmic religious feeling" and a rejection of most existing notions and conventional doctrines of a personal "God", including explicit statements that endorse some of the concepts of Spinoza. I feel this project should permit many quotations without a source in the "attributed" sections of articles, yet, those which are of such content as stands contrary to known and sourced quotations, should be investigated, and not be too readily retained, especially if there is no evidence of them ever having been cited elsewhere, prior to their posting here. ~ Achilles 10:37, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC) What is the sense in highlighting some of the quotes? Just because some of the editors here perceive them to be important does not mean that Einstien also agrees with the subjective judgement implied. When something is emphasised it implies that it is the origional authors emphasis and does not represent the full picture of what einstien himself had to say by making the unemphasised quotes seem trivial.

Einstein didn't say quotes even -- he usually talked, or wrote, at length. The very act of quoting is deciding some part is more meaningful than others. Bolding partial quotes means that the bold part is more meaningful than the rest, which was mostly left for context. Usually it's because the bold part is famous in general. ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 09:28, 10 August 2005 (UTC)
  • I added the above discussed quote with its original source. I don't see how Achilles would have trouble finding it pre 23 April 2005 as it is cited in many locations previous,was first said to Prince Hubertus zu Lowenstein in 1941, and published in Lowenstein's book in 1968. Here's the quote with its source:

In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views. Said to German anti-Nazi diplomat and author Hubertus zu Lowenstein around 1941. Quoted in his book, Towards the Further Shore, London, 1968, 156. Although Einstein said he would be considered an atheist "from the point of view of a Jesuit priest", he repeatedly denied being one in fact. A Jesuit would consider anyone an atheist who did not believe in the personal anthropomorphic deity of Christianity. This personal deity is only one part of the spectrum of religious/spiritual beliefs. Einstein's fits on the other end, where rests the "transcendent" deity completely unconcerned with human affairs.

[edit] German, Swiss or US Citizen?

The nationality is not the passport you have. It is rather the place you were born or the place you choose to live. Einstein left Switzerland for good when he decided to recover his German citizenship. He explicitely renounced his German citizenship when got political asylum in the US. I think that in the case of Einstein, it is more correct to say the he was a German born, US citizen (Not American, please!!). Pedron 20:03, 12 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Good source for sourced Einstein quotations

Check out The Expanded Quotable Einstein by Princeton University Press. The web page has sourced quotes from Chapter 1. --Nickg 23:57, 16 August 2005 (UTC)

This is true, I would only expand it to say that he did retain his Swiss citizenship throughout his lifetime. 68.64.213.150 03:31, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Removal of one unlikely "quote"

In adding an attributed quote, I alphabetized some recent entries, sourced one, ignored many that are likely spurious (though widely attributed), but deleted this one which had been added in a revision of 14 July 2005 by 203.197.169.20:

My thinking about God is 'the superintelligent field prevalent in cosmos from where sub-atomic particle gets created and annihilated'. Imagine before such a strong force existence of humans is nothing.

It is ungrammatical and unlikely to be a competent translation, if it is based upon any statement he actually made, but there is no evidence of this being attributed to Einstein outside of Wikiquote, and two other sites with pages derived from ours. ~ Achilles 14:39, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] E=MC2 is not exact

{ I don't know whats going on but Einstein E=MC2 is not exact; one must consider the energy that each object absorbs and displays as resonancy, then rotational velocity and angle of impact | Sorry My name is Albert Allen Redditt (I was doing ROOTS geneology research and found out Reddit's were Reddi's in Scotland in 1200's but came from Reddi line from Rome or India prior to scotland?? nice to know we are working on similar things!}) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.102.254.114 (talk • contribs) 23:26, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

I am kapil & a student . e=mc2 is not correct as one must also consider the energy absorbed by the matter present all around the substance producing energy. I think this subject needs a lot more study. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 122.168.42.249 (talk • contribs) 09:36, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Folks, it doesn't matter if e = MC Hammer. To the extent that "e = mc2" can be considered a quote, it is arguably the most famous "quote" of Einstein's, which makes it worth including here. Note also that the associated item is also an Einstein quote. It's not meant to be the last word on the subject, only a couple of Einsteinian quotes. The equation's accuracy and limitations are not relevant for their inclusion in a quote compendium. Such issues should be analyzed (with proper sources, of course) in the relevant Wikipedia articles. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 10:08, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough

Did he say this one: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"? It seems to be attributed to him quite a bit out on the Internet



[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

And this one "It should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid." [7] [8] [9] [10] . Thanks! Ewlyahoocom 08:48, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The thinking that got us into this mess

Here's a quote widely circulated on the Internet and attributed to Einstein:

"The thinking it took to get us into this mess is not the same thinking that is going to get us out of it."

I can't verify it's authenticity. I can't invalidate it either. I'd like the main page to do one or the other. One source [11] attributes it to Ideas and Opinions but I don't have that text in a searchable form.

[edit] Einstein and Buddhism: a widely-cited but spurious quotation

Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.

I've personally discussed the reliability of this quote with Einstein scholars (including John Stachel at Boston U, and founding editor of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein), and with the authors of compilations of Einstein quotations (Thomas J. McFarlane, author of Buddha and Einstein: The Parallel Sayings and Alice Calaprice, author of The New Quotable Einstein) - none of whom cite it. The upshot is that neither they nor I know of any evidence that Einstein delivered a speech containing this quote.

Of course, anyone who had unearthed a reliable citation shouldn't hesitate to reinstate the quote - and to inform these scholars, all of whom would be delighted to know about it (as would I)! User:Robma 10:15, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

I've moved this quote to a "Misattributed" section and worded a source line to avoid the talk page reference, but include the information presented here. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 13:49, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
The second version of this statement (in the "Attributed" section) may be authentic: it is said to occur in Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman (said by one reviewer to be "two of his closest colleagues in later life"), Princeton University Press, ISBN 0691023689 ; perhaps someone could verify/falsify? (I had tracked this down on the Web some time back, but I never actually verified it with the book.) I'm new at this, so I hope I'm posting correctly :) 12:33, 04 May 2006 (UTC) User:Dbrett
Thanks for that source, I will look it up at the Boston Public Library. Ashibaka 22:38, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
The word "Buddha" appears in that book once ("Our time is distinguished..."), but I read through it twice and did not see that quote. Ashibaka 23:34, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

Some interesting quotes in that book, which I wrote down just snippets of, thinking they were famous, but turned out to be not so popular:

  • "Politics is a pendulum whose swings between anarchy and tyranny are fueled by perpetually rejuvenated illusions." p. 38 - aphorism
  • "I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it." p. 39 - 17 July 53 - unsent
  • "The mystical trend of our time, which shows itself particularly in the rampant growth of the so-called Theosophy and Spiritualism, is for me no more than a symptom of weakness and confusion. Since our inner experiences consist of reproductions, and combinations of sensory impressions, the concept of a soul without a body seem to me to be empty and devoid of meaning." p. 40 - 5 Feb 21
  • "Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather from love and devotion towards men and towards objective things." - p. 46 - 30 July 47 - letter
  • "Zionism indeed represents..." - p. 53 - 18 Jun 21 - letter
  • "It seems hard to sneak a look at God's cards. But that He plays dice and uses 'telepathic' methods... is something that I cannot believe for a single moment." - p. 68 - 21 Mar 42
  • "Philosophy is like a mother who gave birth to and endowed all the other sciences. Therefore, one should not scorn her in her nakedness and poverty, but should hope, rather, that part of her Don Quixote ideal will live on in her children so that they do not sink into philistinism." - p. 106 - 28 Sep 32
  • "There has been an earth for a little more than a billion years. As for the question of the end of it I advise: Wait and see!" - p. 34 - 19 Jun 51
  • "If the believers of the present day..." p. 96 - 27 Jan 47 - statement to Christian conf.

Ashibaka 23:46, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

I've seen the "sneak a look at God's cards" quote cited exactly as above in Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything (ISBN 0-7679-0817-1, p. 146 of 544, footnote). I've seen it credited to "Einstein in a letter to Cornel Lanczos, 21 Mar 1942" in a discussion forum, but have no reliable source for the letter with which to further verify the quote. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 22:58, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Thermodynamics "will never be overthrown"

I am trying to find a definitive and sourced quote for Einstein's statement about thermodynamics. Ironcially, entropy seems apply to the statement itself. Below is a partial list of the various quotes I have collected so far. While some of the differences are trival (e.g., "Therefore" vs. Therefore,"), some are quite significant (e.g., "applicability of its concepts" vs. "applicability of its basic concepts"). I don't own a copy of "Autobiographical Notes", so I'd appreciate it if someone who has a copy could ACCURATELY (!) post the quotation from there. Here is the list:

Entropic Variations of Albert Einstein's Quote Regarding Thermodynamics

A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises is, the more dierent [sic] kinds of things it relates, and the more extended is its area of applicability. Therefore the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content concerning which I am convinced that, within the framework of the applicability of its basic concepts, it will never be overthrown.

A. Einstein, Autobiographical Notes in Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist P. A. Schilpp (ed.), Library of Living Philosophers, vol VII, p.33, Cambridge University Press, London, 1970.

From http://home.iitk.ac.in/~osegu/entropy_Lieb.pdf


A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises is, the more different kinds of things it relates, and more extended is its areas of applicability. Therefore, the deep impression, which classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content concerning which I am convinced that, within the framework of applicability of its concepts, it will never be overthrown.

"Einstein wrote in his Autobiographical Notes (p. 33)"

From http://www.dailynews.lk/2003/11/20/fea09.html


Earlier in the Notes, Einstein had sung the praises of classical thermodynamics, “the only physical theory of universal content concerning which I am convinced that, within the framework of the applicability of its basic concepts, it will never be overthrown”. Now, he explains how the very structure of the theory was influential in the search for a way out of the turn-of-the-century crisis in physics.

A. Einstein. Autobiographical notes. In P. A. Schilpp, editor, Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist, Vol. 1, pages 1–94. Open Court, Illinois, 1969.

From http://132.236.180.11/pdf/quant-ph/0601182


A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended its area of applicability. Hence the deep impression that classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content concerning which I am convinced that, within the framework of the applicability of its basic concepts, it will never be overthrown.

"Autobiographical Notes"

http://www.astro.gla.ac.uk/users/norman/lectures/einsteinlegacy/EinsteinFundamentalsMultipage.pdf


A theory is the more impressive, the greater the simplicity of its premises is, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended is its area of applicability. Therefore the deep impression that classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content that, within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts, will never be overthrown.

Albert Einstein, "Autobiographical Notes", 1949

http://www.brlsi.org/proceed04/science200310b.htm


A theory is more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises, the more different are the kinds of things it relates, and the more extended its range of applicability. Therefore, the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made on me. It is the only physical theory of universal content, which I am convinced, that within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts will never be overthrown.

M.J. Klein, Thermodynamics in Einstein's Universe, in Science, 157 (1967), p. 509

http://www.dam.brown.edu/people/yiannis/friends.html


A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended its area of applicability. Therefore the deep impression that classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content which I am convinced will never be overthrown, within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts.

"A. Einstein"

http://musr.physics.ubc.ca/~jess/hr/skept/Therm/

I've added Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist to my Library of Congress research list, but it may take a month or so before I get down there again. They have the 1949, 1951, and 1970 editions. I'll take a look at the oldest one I can scare up. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 14:02, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

--- This is from the 1971 edition of "Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist." The first section of the book is his own "Autobiographical notes." His original German text is on one side of the page, the English translation (by the book's editor, Paul Arthur Schilpp) is on the facing page.

Eine Theorie ist desto eindrucksvoller, je grösser die Einfachheit ihrer Prämissen ist, je verschiedenartigere Dinge sie verknüpft, und je weiter ihr Anwendungsbereich ist. Deshalb der tiefe Eindruck, den die klassische Thermodynamik auf mich machte. Es ist die einzige physikalische Theorie allgemeinen Inhaltes, von der ich überzeugt bin, dass sie im Rahmen der Anwendbarkeit ihrer Grundbegriffe niesmals umgestossen werden wird (zur besonderen Beachtung der grundsätzlichen Skeptiker).

A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises is, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended is its area of applicability. Therefore the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content concerning which I am convinced that, within the framework of the applicability of its basic concepts, it will never be overthrown (for the special attention of those who are skeptics on principle).

Wafitzge 17:35, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] rearanged the entire article?

wheres the quotes about intelligence and wisdom and such? lygophile13:45, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

The article, like nearly all "people" articles at Wikiquote has always been arranged primarily in chronological sequences for sourced quotes and sourced works not by "subject" headings. Those few "people" pages that do retain extensive use subject headings are in need or re-organization along less subjective criteria. Separate pages for "Themes" do exist for quotes by many authors, but the heavy use of sections for themes within pages for individual people has never been widely accepted here. ~ Kalki 14:20, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The supreme goal of all theory...

With regard to the attributed "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler" quote, which is listed here under "The supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience," I wanted to add what may be the German original:

„Das Oberste Ziel aller Theorie ist, die nicht reduzierbaren grundlegenden Elemente zu bilden, wie einfach und nur möglich, ohne zu müssen, die ausreichende Darstellung eines Einzelnen Bezugspunktes der Erfahrung zu übergeben.“ -- Albert Einstein (1933)

I found it on the web only at http://ende.explicatus.org/wiki/Hypothesis -- I have no other information about its veracity or origin. Peter Kaminski 22:34, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

The quote is from a speech and can be found in the following article:

 On the Method of Theoretical Physics. Philosophy of Science, Vol. 1, No. 2. (Apr., 1934), pp. 163-169.

(thanks to JSTOR; see also http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Albert_Einstein for more information)

In its original context: "The basic concepts and laws which are not logically further reducible constitute the indispensable and not rationally reducible part of the theory. It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience."

[edit] Unsourced

I believe "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction." belongs to E.F. Schumacker. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.73.175.238 (talk • contribs) 01:16, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

I removed "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." since I found no source for it apart from, suspiciously enough, "attraction law" web pages. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.37.67.0 (talk • contribs) 02:36, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

While I agree with you that the quote is unlikely to be by Einstein -- the language is a little too modern to my ear, and the phrasing of it somewhat more glib that in authentic Einstein quotes -- it is, nonetheless, listed on a number of quote websites as being by Einstein, so it is, in fact, a quote that is being attributed to him -- so it was appropriate for it to be in the "Unsourced" section. It's not listed in The New Quotable Einstein (2005), and none of the hits I got for it give a source, but, absence of evidence not being evidence of absence, there's no hard evidence one way or the other for its authenticity or lack thereof. On balance, I'm not planning on restoring it, primarily because it "sounds" off to me, despite the fact that there are several legitimate Einstein quotes dealing with the subject of imagination. Ed Fitzgerald 06:04, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

The Einstein and Stupidity quote may be related to a quote from Ideas and Opinions (p. 38) which does not mention the universe, but does say "The majority of the stupid is invincible and guaranteed for all time." Schissel (from over on Wikipedia. Jan 6 2008. found this by searching on Google books.)

[edit] Viereck interview

Someone removed the quotes from the Viereck interview, and I'm not sure why, so I've restored them. Are the quotes inaccurate, is the source bogus? What was the rationale for removing those quotes? Ed Fitzgerald 15:15, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is this Einstein?

Here's a quote that gets a lot of air time:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate 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. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security. - New York Post, 28 November 1972

[12] [13]

Question: How was Einstein quoted in 1972?

Was this something published posthumously, or is this just bunk?

LionKimbro

Such citations can be of someone's immediate source, and it might even indicate the date of the first translation or publication of the expression in this form. Many of Einstein's most famous statements are translations from German, and it is similar to thoughts expressed or translated in similar fashion elsewhere. In some works the ultimate source is stated to be a letter from 1950, but I find no quotations of it earlier than 1972. It was also published in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1981, which can probably be trusted as reliable, and in many books, so I will add it to the page with the NY Post citation as the earliest I have found. ~ Kalki 06:25, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is this Einstein?

If you strive for mediocrity, you are doomed to achieve it. left on 20:25, October 29, 2007 by 69.229.108.204

I don't find it in The New Quotable Einstein (2005), nor can I find another source for it. Ed Fitzgerald 06:12, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nationality

Albert Einstein was an Austrian, not a German. Please fix this. 88.104.13.228 08:45, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

He was born in Germany, and the periods of his citizenship are listed in the Wikipedia as :
German (1879–96, 1914–33)
Swiss (1901–55)
American (1940–55)
He actually became most famous, and did most of his theoretical work, while a citizen of Switzerland. ~ EO 09:38, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
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