Science in Quotes: What Science Can and Cannot Do

Albert Einstein at Princeton University in February 1938. (AFP/Getty Images)

Our time is distinguished by wonderful achievements in the fields of scientific understanding and the technical application of those insights. Who would not be cheered by this? Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth. What humanity owes to personalities like Buddha, Moses, and Jesus ranks for me higher than all the achievements of the enquiring and constructive mind.

—Albert Einstein, as quoted in “Albert Einstein, The Human Side: New Glimpses From His Archives” by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffmann

Einstein’s work in relativity pointed out limitations in Isaac Newton’s classical mechanics and contributed to the rise of quantum physics. It led to astronomical discoveries including black holes, neutron stars, and gravitational waves.