“Through the reading of popular scientific books I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true. The consequence was a positively fanatic orgy of freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state through lies; it was a crushing impression. Mistrust of every kind of authority grew out of this experience, a skeptical attitude toward the convictions that were alive in any specific social environment - an attitude that has never again left me.
- Albert Einstein, Autobiographical Notes, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp”
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Albert Einstein
“The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description.”
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Albert Einstein
“To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for recognition”
―
Albert Einstein
“Although I have been prevented by outward circumstances from observing a strictly vegetarian diet, I have long been an adherent to the cause in principle. Besides agreeing with the aims of vegetarianism for aesthetic and moral reasons, it is my view that a vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”
―
Albert Einstein
“The only justifiable purpose of political institutions is to ensure the unhindered development of the individual.”
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Albert Einstein
“In scientific thinking are always present elements of poetry. Science and music requires a thought homogeneous.”
―
Albert Einstein
“I believe in intuitions and inspirations...I sometimes FEEL that I am right. I do not KNOW that I am.”
―
Albert Einstein
“Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -how passionately I hate them!”
―
Albert Einstein
“Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever. ”
―
Albert Einstein
“We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.”
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Albert Einstein
“It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs.”
―
Albert Einstein
“Brief is this existence, as a visit in a strange house. The path to be pursued is poorly lit by a flickering consciousness.”
―
Albert Einstein
“De werkelijkheid is louter illusie, maar wel een hardnekkige.”
―
Albert Einstein
“How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it.”
―
Albert Einstein
