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Albert Einstein on Knowledge

1879–1955

← All quotes by Albert Einstein

9 quotes

One may say "the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.

I want to know God's thoughts — the rest are mere details.

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. You cannot subjugate a nation forcibly unless you wipe out every man, woman, and child. Unless you wish to use such drastic measures, you must find a way of settling your disputes without resort to arms.

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

Viereck interview (1929)

If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.

Both churches and universities — insofar as they live up to their true function — serve the ennoblement of the individual. They seek to fulfill this great task by spreading moral and cultural understanding, renouncing the use of brute force.

Moral Decay (1937)

You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth.

Contempt prior to investigation is what enslaves a mind to Ignorance.

Misattributed

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Albert Einstein (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.