“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.”

“In the matter of physics, the first lessons should contain nothing but what is experimental and interesting to see. A pretty experiment is in itself often more valuable than twenty formulae extracted from our minds.”

“Even on the most solemn occasions I got away without wearing socks and hid that lack of civilization in high boots”

“Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”

“Hope that justice will be done to those brave men who stood up for their convictions.”

“Locura es hacer la misma cosa una y otra vez esperando obtener diferentes resultados”

“I am a deeply religious nonbeliever. This is a somewhat new kind of religion.”

“How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for those who are wise and of good will.”

“Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.”

“We must be prepared to make the same heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war.”

“Tanda kecerdasan sejati bukanlah pengetahuan tapi imajinasi.”

“The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer.”

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”

“I see my life in terms of music.”