Albert Einstein Blog

On Bigotry and Belief

Thomas Schueneman — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:39:29 +0000

“The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer.”
-Albert Einstein

Belief (or non-belief) does not inoculate against bigotry.

On Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle

Thomas Schueneman — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:40:15 +0000

“It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man”
-Albert Einstein

The dangers of Plutonium-239 pale to the boundless capacity of human beings to turn it pure destruction.

On Seeking Happiness vs. Seeking Truth

Thomas Schueneman — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:48:09 +0000

“The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.”
-Albert Einstein

Our lives are best not when we’re seeking our own happiness or comfort. Focusing on such blinds us to the real joy of finding the good, marveling at the beauty, and finding even a tiny glimpse of the truth that pervades the universe, but which remains just out of reach for those contemplating too closely if they are comfortable or happy.

Happiness is found in truth, not truth in happiness.

On Persistence

Thomas Schueneman — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:35:54 +0000

“I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.”
-Albert Einstein

Success comes to those that have failed enough.

On Learning to See as Through the Eyes of a Child

Thomas Schueneman — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:41:37 +0000

“The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”
-Albert Einstein

Where wonder and joy are allowed, great mysteries are solved and beauty is revealed.

On Fighting the Good Fight

Thomas Schueneman — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:51:53 +0000

“The individual must not merely wait and criticize, he must defend the cause as best he can. The fate of the world will be such as the world deserves.”
-Albert Einstein

For each of us there is a choice: to lie down, give up, and accept our powerlessness to the unstoppable tide of human history. Or to stand up, brace against the tide, and alter its course – even if only by the smallest margin. The collective course of events is determined by individual effort – or the lack thereof.

In the end, we will reap what we sow.

On the Value of the Elevator Speech

Thomas Schueneman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:41:28 +0000

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”
- Albert Einstein

Keep it simple, and you will rule the world.

On Understanding Nature

Thomas Schueneman — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:16:56 +0000

“Nature conceals her secrets because she is sublime, not because she is a trickster.”
-Albert Einstein

Nature doesn’t need our understanding, as much as it needs our respect.

On the Definition of Relativity

Thomas Schueneman — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:12:11 +0000

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

It’s relatively simple. Time contracts when you’re holding the hand of a pretty girl.

On the Formula for Success

Thomas Schueneman — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:28:25 +0000

“If A equals success, then the formula is: A=X+Y+Z, X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut.”
-Albert Einstein

Work hard, have fun, and remember it’s usually best to listen instead of talk.