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By laying down the relativity postulate from the outset, sufficient means have been created for deducing henceforth the complete series of Laws of Mechanics from the principle of conservation of energy (and statements concerning the form of the energy) alone.

— Hermann Minkowski The Fundamental Equations for Electromagnetic Processes in Moving Bodies (1907)

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More quotes by Hermann Minkowski

The rigid electron is in my view a monster in relation to Maxwell's equations, whose innermost harmony is the principle of relativity.

Oh, that Einstein, always cutting lectures... I really would not believe him capable of it.

The word postulate of relativity... appears to me very stale... I should rather like to give this statement the name Postulate of the absolute world (or briefly, world-postulate).

Space and Time (1909)

The assumption of the contraction of the electron in Lorentz's theory must be introduced at an earlier stage than Lorentz has actually done.

The Fundamental Equations for Electromagnetic Processes in Moving Bodies (1907)

The whole world appears resolved into such world-lines. And I should like to say beforehand that, according to my opinion, it would be possible for the physical laws to find their fullest expression as correlations of these world-lines.

Space and Time (1909)

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