“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.”
We kicked off the first ever Sunday Snippet last week with great quote from Paulo Coelho. He taught us about how we may be sabotaging our own success. This week, we turn to world renowned physicist Albert Einstein for some words of wisdom, but he doesn’t offer us anything directly about physics. Instead, he reminds us of the importance of imagination.
Knowledge, by its very definition, is limiting. With knowledge, our goal is to learn as much information available, but this is inherently limited by the the current body of knowledge. We cannot extend beyond what is already known and, even then, we may be faced with too much information. Yes, it’s important to learn and it’s important to gain knowledge, but imagination goes so much further than that.
Imagination knows no bounds. It is not restricted by the accepted laws of physics or the conventions of government. Imagination gives us the ability to see and to conceive of the world in wholly unique ways. It is with this child-like, wide-eyed wonder that we are able to gain new perspective and approach challenges in original ways. It is through imagination that we were first treated to wireless telecommunications, the internal combustion engine, and bifocal eyeglasses.
The great Albert Einstein was anything but conventional. He saw the world
Surpass the great Albert Einstein? Not in my wildest imagination! LOL!!
People surpass Einstein all the time. He was a genius in his own fields and area’s, but there are many others who have the same genius in their own fields. Stephen Hawkings would be one, Bobby Fisher was another, the list can go on and on.
I consider Einstein the most influential person in our lifetime. Without his work and genius to go beyond knowledge, we would not have the understanding of the universe that we do. Nor, would we have developed some of the current geniuses of today without that foundation.
Along those lines, you could argue that Einstein was surpassed before he was born. Einstein was a genius in physics, but, before and since him, there have been people that were considered geniuses in multiple fields.
Jefferson, Franklin, da Vinci, Newton, Archimedes, and so on were quite brilliant in multiple fields. Newton is considered by some to have had more influence in the scientific fields than Einstein.
As you’ve said, there are plenty of people who are geniuses in their own fields. There really isn’t anything holding any of us back from achieving greatness in our own fields. Even multiple fields.
Yes. Without imagination we stop moving forward.
I totally agree with Einstein about the importance of limitless imagination. I once wrote abut skateboarding to the moon.
Imagination is such a wonderful gift given to us by God and I thank him for that.