The Einstein Theory of Relativity Quotes

“The future is not a gift-it is an achievement.”
― Albert Einstein, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“Till now it was believed that time and space existed by themselves, even if there was nothing else--no sun, no earth, no stars--while now we know that time and space are not the vessel for the universe, but could not exist at all if there were no contents, namely, no sun, earth and other celestial bodies.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“Einstein has put an end to this isolation; it is now well established that gravitation affects not only matter, but also light.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“Einstein's work is to make physics more philosophical (in a good sense),”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“It is comprehensible that a person could not have arrived at such a far-reaching change of view by continuing to follow the old beaten paths, but only by introducing some sort of new idea. Indeed, Einstein arrived at his theory through a train of thought of great originality.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“difform motion will in every case produce the same effects as gravitation.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“The Newtonian theory can no longer be regarded as absolutely correct in all cases;”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“Einstein supposes that space is Euclidean where it is sufficiently remote from matter, but that the presence of matter causes it to become slightly non-Euclidean—the more matter there is in the neighborhood, the more space will depart from Euclid.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“Briefly, it discards absolute time and space and makes them in every instance relative to moving systems.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“Einstein had immense fame among physicists, and among all who are interested in the philosophy of science, because of his principle of relativity.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“The equations on which the theory of relativity is based are due to Lorentz, but Einstein connected them with his general principle, namely, that there must be nothing, in observable phenomena, which could be attributed to absolute motion of the observer.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“Everyone knows that a person may be sitting in any kind of a vehicle without noticing its progress, so long as the movement does not vary in direction or speed; in a car of a fast express train objects fall in just the same way as in a coach that is standing still. Only when we look at objects outside the train, or when the air can enter the car, do we notice indications of the motion.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“Whether it is true or not that not more than twelve persons in all the world are able to understand Einstein's Theory, it is nevertheless a fact that there is a constant demand for information about this much-debated topic of relativity.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“it is of importance to note that when we exclude certain possibilities that would give rise to still greater intricacy, the form of comparison used by Einstein to present the theory is the only possible one; the principle of the freedom of choice in co-ordinates was the only one by which he needed to allow himself to be guided”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“he made it his aim so to arrange the theory that, no matter how the choice was made, the phenomena of gravitation, so far as its effects and its stimulation by the attracting bodies are concerned, may always be described in the same way—i.e., through comparisons of the same general form, as we again and again give certain values to the numbers that mark the sphere of gravitation”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“said that in non-Euclidean geometry space has a curvature, but this way of stating the matter is misleading, since it seems to imply a fourth dimension, which is not implied by these systems.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“there is not a single physical or chemical phenomenon—which does not feel, although very probably in an unnoticeable degree, the influence of gravitation, and that, on the other side, the attraction exercised by a body is limited in the first place by the quantity of matter it contains and also, to some degree, by motion and by the physical and chemical condition in which it moves.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“Non-Euclidean geometry is a study of which the primary motive was logical and philosophical;”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“The whole Galileo-Newton system thus sank to the level of a first approximation, becoming progressively less exact as the velocities concerned approached that of light.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity A Concise Statement

“Gravitation, ever since Newton, had remained isolated from other forces in nature; various attempts had been made to account for it, but without success. The immense unification effected by electro-magnetism apparently left gravitation out of its scope. It seemed that nature had presented a challenge to the physicists which none of them were able to meet.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society held especially for that purpose recently in London, it was the general opinion that Einstein's prediction might be regarded as justified, and warm tributes to his genius were made on all sides. Nevertheless, I cannot refrain, while I am mentioning it, from expressing my surprise that, according to the report in The Times there should be so much complaint about the difficulty of understanding the new theory. It is evident that Einstein's little book “About the Special and the General Theory of Relativity in Plain Terms,” did not find its way into England during wartime. Any one reading it will, in my opinion, come to the conclusion that the basic ideas of the theory”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“The term relativity refers to time and space. According to Galileo and Newton, time and space were absolute entities, and the moving systems of the universe were dependent on this absolute time and space. On this conception was built the science of mechanics. The resulting formulas sufficed for all motions of a slow nature; it was found, however, that they would not conform to the rapid motions apparent in electrodynamics.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“Till now it was believed that time and space existed by themselves, even if there was nothing else—no sun, no earth, no stars—while now we know that time and space are not the vessel for the universe, but could not exist at all if there were no contents, namely, no sun, earth and other celestial bodies.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity

“The central fact which has been proved—and which is of great interest and importance—is that the natural phenomena involving gravitation and inertia (such as the motions of the planets) and the phenomena involving electricity and magnetism (including the motion of light) are not independent of one another, but are intimately related, so that both sets of phenomena should be regarded as parts of one vast system, embracing all Nature. The relation of the two is, however, of such a character that it is perceptible only in a very few instances, and then only to refined observations.”
― Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, The Einstein Theory of Relativity