-Albert Einstein discovered the basic principles of his special theory of relativity in an unusual state of mind; according to his description, most of the insights came to him in the form of kinaesthetic sensations.
-“Everything is determined…by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust—we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.”
-“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self.”
-A life member of the Montreal Pipe Smokers Club, Einstein was quoted as saying: "Pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment of human affairs." He once fell into the water during a boating expedition but managed heroically to hold on to his pipe.
-"When I was young, I found out that the big toe always ends up making a hole in the sock," he once said. "So I stopped wearing socks." Einstein was also a fanatical slob, refusing to "dress properly" for anyone. Either people knew him or they didn't, he reasoned - so it didn't matter either way.
-Young Albert had a quick temper, however, it vanished during his first school years. Albert’s sister Maja reports in Albert Einstein - Beitrag für sein Lebensbild the following: "In such moments his face became all yellow, however, the tip of his nose became snow-white, and he was no longer under control. At such an opportunity he once grabbed a chair and threw it after his teacher, who was so terrified, that she ran away and never came back again. His little sister was once thrown a big skittles ball on the head and a third time a children’s pick served as a device for, hitting somebody on the head."
-Einstein escaped the German military service by giving up the German citizenship as 17-year-old with the approval of his father. (Hän osallistui armeijanvastaisiin mielenosoituksiin ja laati mittavan joukon julkilausumia, joissa kehotti miehiä kieltäytymään asepalveluksesta. ”Yhdelläkään ihmisellä ei ole oikeutta kutsua itseään kristityksi tai juutalaiseksi, jos hän on valmis virkavallan käskystä osallistumaan systemaattisen murhan valmisteluun.”)
-Einstein very much liked to play the violin and the piano. Sailing was also special to him. Though Einstein liked sailing very much he could not swim. He even denied to use swim vests. This led to his family always worrying very much when he was out sailing.
-Huonomuistisen Einsteinin oli vaikea motivoitua opettelemaan asioita, jotka hän koki vähemmän tärkeiksi tai hyödyttömiksi. Hän kauhisteli vielä vanhoilla päivilläänkin, kuinka loppututkintoa varten ”oli päntättävä kaikenlaista roskaa, halusi sitä tai ei”.
-Although he lived for many years in the United States and was fully bilingual, Einstein claimed never to be able to write in English because of "the treacherous spelling".
-Avioliitot eivät vähentäneet Einsteinin naisia kohtaan tuntemaa kiinnostusta. Toisen avioliittonsa aikana Einstein saattoi liikkua julkisesti rakastajattariensa kanssa tuoden heitä jopa kotiinsa.
