Einstein

This giant of men, someone who saw beyond our own understanding, into a larger, more ordered universe. He is most famous for E=mc2, which tells us simply what the ancients knew all along, we are energy. All we are, all we see, is energy in some form or another. And energy flows through us, almost like the waves of the sea, only, as seen underwater, with the seaweed and kelp ebbing and flowing in harmony.

What i admire him for though, more than the scientific, is his moral contribution to mankind. He was a terribly deep thinker, and his searching mind often took him to strange corners of our psyche. He believed in the GOODness of the universe, and our need to strive for it. He believed in order, yet he placed more emphasis in the need for intuition than logic.

Here is a short selection of quotes, thoughts to think about.

The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
As quoted in Breakthrough : Israel in a Changing World (1996) by Gad Yaacobi, p. 98

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.
An explanation of relativity which he gave to his secretary Helen Dukas to convey to non-scientists and reporters, as quoted in Best Quotes of '54, '55, l56 (1957) by James B. Simpson; also in Expandable Quotable Einstein (2005) edited by Alice Calaprice

The important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when contemplating the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of the mystery every day. The important thing is not to stop questioning; never lose a holy curiosity.
Statement to William Miller, as quoted in LIFE magazine (2 May 1955)

Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.
As quoted by Virgil Henshaw in Albert Einstein: Philosopher Scientist (1949)

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 feelings 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. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.
Letter of 1950, as quoted in The New York Times (29 March 1972) and The New York Post (28 November 1972)

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
Ideas and Opinions (1954)

I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.
In response the telegrammed question of New York's Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein in (24 April 1929): "Do you believe in God? Stop. Answer paid 50 words." Einstein replied in only 25 (German) words. Spinoza's ideas of God are often characterized as being pantheistic.

I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.
Interview with George Sylvester Viereck (January 1931)