Time

“The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

– Albert Einstein, Letter to the family of Michele Besso (1955)

What does it mean?

Einstein, writing after a friend's death, suggests that in physics past, present and future are not truly separate, even though we feel they are.

Key vocabulary

distinction
a clear difference
stubbornly persistent
refusing to go away
illusion
something that seems real but is not

Who said it?

Albert Einstein: German-born theoretical physicist (1879–1955). Source: Letter to the family of Michele Besso (1955).

More quotes by Albert Einstein

All 11