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57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wisdom and Wit, February 2, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Bite-Size Einstein: Quotations on Just About Everything from the Greatest Mind of the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)
When one thinks of Einstein, wisdom and logic seem to prevail.. This book proves that he has a number of one-liners which will blow your socks off and make you laugh out loud. It will also confirm your suspisions that smart people and funny people have a lot in common.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Humanity is more important than national citizenship, February 14, 2008
This review is from: Bite-Size Einstein: Quotations on Just About Everything from the Greatest Mind of the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)
In this year of intense political contention, based in part on a spiteful opposition to immigrants, it is worth reading these concise but poignant quotes by America's most illustrious immigrant.
"I am a democrat," said Albert Einstein. Today, such use of "democrat" means "small 'd' democrat" to avoid confusion with "big 'D' Democrat" which some accuse of being traitors to America. Such is our new intolerance.
However, consider:
-- "The foundation of all human values is morality.
-- "The destiny of civilized humanity depends more than ever on the moral forces it is capable of generating.
-- "Comfort and happiness have never appeared to me as a goal. I call these ethical bases the ideal of the swineherd."
Comfort and happiness? In an era of global warming, perhaps drivers of SUVs really are modern swineherds with scrubbed faces and clean fingernails. It's not that Einstein is so perfectly correct; but, his comments should cause every intelligent person to re-think. After fleeing a Europe where a master race destined to rule the world was being created by government edict, it's hardly surprising Einstein should write, "The state is made for man, not man for the state."
Despite offering a wide range of provocative and stimulating ideas, he has enough common sense to understand, "As a human being, one has been endowed with just enough intelligence to be able to see clearly how utterly inadequate that intelligence is when confronted with what exists."
Has anyone come up with a better description of politics? let alone human events? let alone physics?
Einstein's fame is based on questioning the status quo; he did not want change we can believe in, he wanted questions to discover a new reality instead of preserving old bad habits. In contrast to Bible Thumpers (or Physics book thumpers and every other thumper), "The foundation of morality should not be made dependent on myth nor tied to any authority lest doubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil the foundation of sound judgment and action."
Such quotes make this book a gem. It encourages one to think (which infuriates politicians to no end). As he once said, which applies to today's "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" just inside the golden door, "Humanity is more important than national citizenship."
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"Only two things are infinite,the universe and human stupidity,and I'm not sure about the former." ..Einstein, July 15, 2010
When one thinks about the most brilliant scientist of the 20th century;the name of Albert Einstein immediately comes to mind.
But what did this great genius think about life in general.As much as he dealt with the most complicated ideas in science;he really thought about many other things and was able to put his ideas in very simple words.After all,if there was anything that he really admired ,it was simplicity itself.
This is a small book of only 92 pages but in it you will find many statements on many subjects that show that his brain considered all sorts of things that mankind has to deal with and in fact has given much thought to for centuries.
If you think that such a brilliant scientist would come up with complicated statements on highly complicated subjects;you will be amazed at how he can express his ideas with ultimate simplicity.
I will quote just a couple of things from this little tome;that should show this,and tempt you to get this book and see for yourself what Einstein thought about many things;
"Imagination is more important than knowledge.Knowledge is limited.Imagination
encircles the world."
"One reason why mathematics enjoys special esteem,above all other sciences,is
that its laws are absolutely certain and indisputable,while those of all
other sciences are to some extent debatable and in constant danger of being
overthrown by newly discovered facts."
"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute,and it seems like an hour.Sit with
a pretty girl for an hour,and it seems like a minute.That's relativity."
"How will World War III be fought" I do not know;but I do know hiow WW IV will
be--withsticks and stones."
"People will not disarm step by step;they willdisarm one blow or not at all."
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