Top 10 Albert Einstein Quotes

Albert Einstein, known around the world as a gifted scientist, educator, speaker and philosopher shared his knowledge until his death in 1955. It’s hard to understand what goes on in the brain of such a brilliant man but these top 10 Einstein quotes give an inkling into the mind of this extraordinary scientist. His thought-provoking quotes are full of his uncanny wit, love of humanity and his life of intellectual pursuits.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day."

From Memoirs of William Miller, quoted in Life magazine, May 2, 1955
"The ordinary adult never gives a thought to space-time problems.... I, on the contrary, developed so slowly that I did not begin to wonder about space and time until I was an adult. I then delved more deeply into the problem than any other adult or child would have done."

"It is important for the common good to foster individuality: for only the individual can produce the new ideas which the community needs for its continuous improvement and requirements—indeed, to avoid sterility and petrification."

 March 1952; Einstein Archive 28-932; p. 286

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” 

“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.” 

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” 

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” 

“When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.” 

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning.” 

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”