Six Thought-Provoking Quotes from Albert Einstein

1. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

As humans, we have a unique capacity to think and to interpret our world. In this regard, we are also time travelers: we can envision the beginning of time and the Big Bang all the way to, perhaps, the end of our universe.

Let’s get real for a moment. This is not what we actually do on a daily basis – except for theoretical physicists. We do, however, visit the past often and fortunately or unfortunately, relive it. We often live in the future of possibility and “what if” and lose what’s right in front of us and the “now.”

Exercise:

*How can you use the lessons of the past to live a more fulfilling life today?

*How can your hopes and dreams for the future help you take action today to realize your tomorrows?

*How can you savor each and every moment of today as a glorious bridge between the past and the future?

 2. “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”

When I was in school, success was all about getting the correct answer. In recent years, I have become fascinated by powerful questions and the fact that there are often many possible answers.

I am becoming far more comfortable with ambiguity and shades of grey. I think Einstein, through his study of quantum physics and his quotes pertaining to the mysteries of life, has led many (including myself) in this direction.

Exercise:

*How can you use powerful questions to do some heavy lifting and find the added strength and capacity to advance your life?

3.  “The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions…Our inner balance, and even our very existence, depends on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to our lives.”

Watching the Olympic Games in August was a highlight of my summer. Beyond the gold medals and extraordinary human achievement, we all got to see some special human moments of great beauty and dignity.

Did you see them too?

Athletes showing tears of joy in respect and honor of their country’s national anthem.

Athletes thanking a higher power for their gifts and achievements.

Athletes honoring their team-mates and competitors.

The world coming together in peace to celebrate the human spirit.

Exercise:

*How can you bring your highest moral values and actions to each day and to those people around you, to experience greater beauty, balance and dignity in your life?

4.  “Life is all about choices. How many people are trapped in their everyday habits: part numb, part frightened, part indifferent? To have a better life we must keep choosing how we’re living.”

As far as I know, all of the current subscribers to The Quotable Coach live in democratic societies where they have the freedom to fully choose how they live each day.

As a coach, I often see individuals who are limiting their freedom to fully choose. Which of these choices have you been fully intentional about?

– The choice of career or vocation
– The choice to be healthy and fit
– The choice of friends and associates
– The choice of how you spend your free time
– The choice of where you live, and the communities you associate with
– The choice of the thoughts and attitudes you bring to each day

Exercise:

*Where are you currently trapped and limited by your everyday habits and thinking?

*What new and intentional choices can you make to achieve a better life?

5.  “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

What issues in your life frustrate you? Who are the people in your world you can barely tolerate? Where is your world stuck in neutral, or slipping backwards?

No-one would ever wish to be called “insane” – and yet most people continue their current behaviors and wonder why things don’t change.

The remedy to this insanity quote is – you guessed it – another quote, this one by Tuli Kupferberg. It happens to be one of my absolute favorites and I use it on my website and in my email signature.
It reads: “When patterns are broken, new worlds will emerge.”

Exercise:

*What new worlds would you like to emerge?

*How can your commitment to this better future provide the leverage for you to break these “insane” behaviors that are keeping you in the same place?

*Find someone with whom you can share this insight, and request support.

6. There are only two ways to live your life: one is as though nothing is a miracle; one is as though everything is a miracle.

As a “glass half-full” rather than a “glass half-empty” person, I bet you can guess which perspective I favor regarding this quote!

As a former science teacher, I see life itself as a miracle, due to the following facts:

1. You and I are living, breathing human beings made up of over 100 trillion cells that seem to work quite nicely together.

2. We live on a planet that supports a vast diversity of other life forms that go beyond our ability to comprehend.

3. We can see beauty, breathe clean air, feel a warm touch, smell a flower, and think – and even heal our own bodies.

Exercise:

*Put on an imaginary pair of “miracle glasses” to discover and embrace the small and large miracles that abound.

*Have a “miracle conversation” with your family or close friends to discover what each of you sees.

Written on 10/27/2012 by Barry Demp. If you’d like to receive a daily dose of inspiration and motivation straight to your inbox, head on over to Barry Demp’s site, The Quotable Coach and pop your details in the sidebar. You’ll get a daily email with a great quote, plus a short commentary to help you reflect, and an exercise to encourage you to take action.