Einstein

Next to a crossword puzzle you can sink your teeth into, the best flight companion is a good book, and I took one along. It was not a romance novel though the subject was somewhat of a romanticist, nor a juicy tell-all autobiography, but an excellent biography titled Einstein. Author Walter Isaacson has so finely crafted the story that even I not only got the feel of who the man was and how he reasoned but also the gist of the science that held Albert Einstein's fascination and commitment from childhood. Isaacson explained that contrary to myth, Einstein was a fine student, and though he talked a little later than most children, even his early words reflected curiosity, imagination, and acute observations. Here are a few of Einstein's quotations that I liked.

• Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.
• It is important to foster individuality, for only individuality can produce new ideas.
• How an intelligent man can subscribe to a (political) party, I find a complete mystery.
• One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.