I am launching a new feature here at Soapblox, Great Quotes! I am a huge fan of great quotes and they tell us as much about the person who says it as they do about themselves. A good quote can be taken out of context, but a great quote is universal and poignant that retains, at its core, a great message.
To start it all off, let’s take a look at one of the great minds in science and history, the great Albert Einstein. A special thanks to AlbertEinsteinQuotes.com for giving me permission to use these images.
1.) Einstein on Science v. Religion
With science and religion so much in conflict these days, let’s see what Mr. E=MC2 had to say about the conflict:
Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
–Albert Einstein
What I love about this quote is that it demonstrates that science on it’s own does not, and cannot, have all the answers, while firmly showing that a religion that attacks science, denies science, pretends it doesn’t exist while using the technology that resulted from it, has no direction.
I wonder what Einstein would say today if he saw the bands of assoreted religious nuts and crazies?
2.) Einstein on Endless War
Unfortunately, and in my opinion, accurately, Einstein found no end to war as long as humanity existed.
“So long as there are men there will be wars.”
-Albert Einstein
Now don’t read into the “Men” angle too much, in his time that meant humanity. In my experience, war is a collective nature of both women and men and I can provide you substantial evidence. We are all in this mess together and until we find a way to provide for a more equal society that isn’t reliant on resources and immune to the greed and desires of some to take more power than others, we will have war.
In other words, we will always have war, at least for the far forseeable future.
3.) Einstein on Women’s Rights
Einstein was no pioneer of feminism, though he could see the injustice of our society towards women.
“A brave man, whose only fault was being a woman.”
-Albert Einstein
The times Einstein lived in were dominated by a rising tide of male chauvinism and a rising tide of resistance from women towards it. While for millennia women’s contributions have been overlooked, it was becoming increasingly clear that there was no validity in keeping women’s contributions down.
It should be noted that one of the key planks of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, was greatly aided by numerous women mathematicians and scientists, including Emmy Noether and likely, his own wife.
4.) Einstein on Education
Einstein is one of the greatest drop outs in history to achieve unparallelled success. He was so famous for being smart, women swooned for him, even in his old age. He did not care much for school, and had trouble his whole life in academics, even the University in Zurich where he began to put together his Theory of Relativity.
“Example isn’t another way to teach, it is the only way to teach.“
-Albert Einstein
Our modern schools are not much better. How many Einsteins have we put down for not following the rules or being book smart. Book smarts can get you far but it rarely yields greatness. Pick almost any great person in history, it was the experiences they saw that made them great.
5.) Einstein on Relationships
Sure it seems silly to take marriage advice from a nerdy scientist who was divorced multiple times, though this next bit is one of the greatest quotes about relationships ever produced and I have never heard anything half this intelligent come from any expert on relationships.
“Women marry men hoping they will change. Men marry women hoping they will not. So each is inevitably disappointed.“
–Albert Einstein
This one is pretty universal. It is still common, even with marriage losing popularity, for relationships to revolve around this principle. Women want the perfect man and rarely get it, able to look past the reality of the person, and men, often too blind to see the reality of the person want things to stay the same forever.
Things rarely do and that is why, I believe, that most marriages fail.
6.) Einstein on Living Life
Einstein had a lot of great quotes about life. He was able to get out there and live it. He took great chances, proposed profound things and somehow managed to be right. While he wasn’t perfect, who is? We manage to make choices in life and we suffer the consequences. It seems Einstein took more issue with those that do not make choices.
“A ship is always safe at the shore – but that is NOT what it is built for.“
–Albert Einstein
Being safe is not much of a way to live. We are designed to get out into life and navigate the waters of life as best we can. We may see great storms, we may sink, though we lived.
7.) Einstein on Search Engines
What? Einstein didn’t Google things right? Of course he didn’t, but he knew that the secret of success is finding information and knowing how to use it.
“Know where to find the information and how to use it – That’s the secret of success.”
Albert Einstein
The information age is about information. You are here now because you are pursuing knowledge. Enjoy that amazing gift for in the past, people were burned at the stake for knowing the wrong things. While knowing the wrong secret can get you killed today, knowing how to read the Bible or talking about science could get you killed in the past.
8.) Einstein on the Policy of Selfishness and Fear
Einstein’s life witnessed his own exile from the Nazis, the rise of the Soviets and the birth of Ayn Randism, a special breed of libertarianism that loathes altruism and thinks every action in life is done out of self-interest.
“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.”
–Albert Einstein
There is so much talk these days about how people only do things because they have an incentive to do so. Even when people give to charity, there are those that say it is for the tax return. That may be truth with the 1% and their rich think tanks, though the rest of us often give out of love, concern and goodness. The cynical are perhaps selfish, though hope exists in the world, I see it every day and those who don’t understand, are a sorry lot indeed.
9.) Einstein on the Environment
Einstein came up with much of his Theory of Relativity on nature hikes and observing nature. He was a great lover of nature and the environment.
“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.”
Albert Einstein
When you look at the beauty of the creation of life from scientific or religious points of view, it is a marvel. Our feeble machines do not repair themselves at the cellular level, they do not think and they do not reproduce. Yet that is the tip of the iceberg.
To appreciate life, you must go out and see it. How a dead tree gives life to a whole host of species, how the decaying remains become energy for the next generation. Life itself is a marvel, that is so profound it goes beyond human comprehension. We have so few answers to how and why, yet we can enjoy it and not destroy it because we just don’t get it!
10.) Einstein on the Hope
of Humanity
Einstein’s own Theory led to the Atomic Bomb. By the time he passed in 1955, the world had witnessed the Hydrogen Bomb and then the Super Bomb and long range missiles. Who knows what when through his head as he saw what the power of knowledge unleashed upon humanity, the ultimate weapon, the ultimate power, the power to end it all, all life.
Well, he did say this:
“We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility.”
Albert Einstein
Surviving is only one part of life. To do more, to atone for our impact on life is something Einstein did not take very lightly. Yet while we will often fail, we must do the best we can. He considered this a SACRED HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY!
That is why Soapblox, now going into it’s 10th years exists.
For more information and more fun quotes on Albert Einstein, check out: AlbertEinsteinQuotes.com.
My opinions are my own and no way connected to alberteinsteinquotes.com or the Albert Einstein estate.