A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate 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.

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.

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. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish the delusion but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.

Never lose a holy curiosity.

Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living.

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.

Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.

I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.