Reason, of course, is weak, when measured against its never-ending task. Weak, indeed, compared with the follies and passions of mankind, which, we must admit, almost entirely control our human destinies, in great things and small. Yet the works of the understanding outlast the noisy bustling generations and spread light and warmth across the centuries. (Albert Einstein, Einstein on Humanism (New York: Carol, 1993), 77.)
A life directed chiefly toward the fulfilment of personal
desires will sooner or later always lead to bitter disappointment,’ he said. ‘The
banal goals of human strivings — possessions, superficial success, luxury — have
always seemed contemptible to me. (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, ed. Alice
Calaprice (Princeton: Princeton University, 2000), 148, 350).
I am absolutely convinced that no amount of wealth in the
world can help humanity forward,
even in the hands of the most dedicated worker in this cause. The example of
great and pure personalities can lead us to noble deeds and views. Money only
appeals to selfishness, and, without fail, it tempts its owner to abuse it. (The
Expanded Quotable Einstein, ed. Alice Calaprice (Princeton: Princeton
University, 2000), 305).
Albert Einstein fully understood that instinct is stronger than
intellect — that our impulsive nature, rooted in a sense-bound life, forms
shackles of material bondage which do not allow us to develop a cosmic outlook
free from egotism.
I am happy because I want nothing from anyone. I don’t care
for money. Decorations, titles or distinctions mean nothing to me. I don’t
crave praise. The only thing that gives me pleasure, apart from my work, my
violin and my sailing boat, is the appreciation of my fellow-workers. I claim
credit for nothing. I have no special gifts — I am
only passionately curious. (11 March 1952, to biographer Carl
Seelig; Alice Calaprice and Trevor Lipscombe, Albert Einstein: A Biography (Connecticut:
Greenwood, 2005), front pages.)
The most important human endeavor
is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance
and even our very existence
depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity
to life.
To make this a living force and
bring it to clear consciousness is perhaps the foremost task of
education.
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.
(N Krishnaswamy, Einstein, His Papers and His
Letter (Bangalore:
Gandhi Centre of Science and Human Values, 2006), 118.)
‘Solicitude for man and his
future must always be the main interest of all technical efforts; never
forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations,’ he once
remarked. He often summed up his own efforts thus: ‘Only a life
lived for others is worthwhile.’ He said this hundreds of
times. His concern was always compassionately directed to the needy.
(Responding to a question posed by the editors of the New
York Times, 20 June 1932. The
Expanded Quotable Einstein, 147.)
Related