“Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.”

“Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.”

“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”

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

“The tendencies we have mentioned are something new for America. They arose when, under the influence of the two World Wars and the consequent concentration of all forces on a military goal, a predominantly military mentality developed, which with the almost sudden victory became even more accentuated. The characteristic feature of this mentality is that people place the importance of what Bertrand Russell so tellingly terms “naked power” far above all other factors which affect the relations between peoples. The Germans, misled by Bismarck’s successes in particular, underwent just such a transformation of their mentality—in consequence of which they were entirely ruined in less than a hundred years. I must frankly confess that the foreign policy of the United States since the termination of hostilities has reminded me, sometimes irresistibly, of the attitude of Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II, and I know that, independent of me, this analogy has most painfully occurred to others as well. It is characteristic of the military mentality that non-human factors (atom bombs, strategic bases, weapons of all sorts, the possession of raw materials, etc.) are held essential, while the human being, his desires and thoughts—in short, the psychological factors—are considered as unimportant and secondary. Herein lies a certain resemblance to Marxism, at least insofar as its theoretical side alone is kept in view. The individual is degraded to a mere instrument; he becomes “human materiel.” The normal ends of human aspiration vanish with such a viewpoint. Instead, the military mentality raises “naked power” as a goal in itself—one of the strangest illusions to which men can succumb.”

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”

“If I were not a Jew I would be a Quaker.”

“It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.”

“As the area of light expands, so does the perimeter of darkness.”

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

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

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”

“The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.”

“We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.”