Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein is widely considered one of the greatest minds to have ever lived. Through his development of the general theory of relativity he, as Conversations With God, Book 1 puts it, “came closer than any other human — before or since — to discovering, explaining and functionalizing the creative secret of the universe.”

In so doing, he unlocked access to a great wealth of immense knowledge and power. Out of his studies arose the ground upon which both quantum and string theory have come to be based, as well as the concepts of zero-point energy, dark energy, the theory of wormholes and the search for a unified field theory. His science was also responsible for the first atomic bomb. A great duality.

What is it that makes the mind of an individual capable of such astonishing feats? It is believed by some that, through whatever means, for whatever reason — whether anomaly, fate, or both — the contents of Einstein’s mind were somehow brought together in a manner that formed a key to one of the deepest ciphers of the universe, allowing an otherworldly wisdom to flow through into this one.

Compiled here are 25 of the most insightful and intriguing Albert Einstein quotes we could find. It is advised that you do not rush through them — some possess a meaning deeper than you may first suppose, and are worthy of heartfelt contemplation.

1)  “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

2)  “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

3)  “Nature shows us only the tail of the lion. But I do not doubt that the lion belongs to it even though he cannot at once reveal himself because of his enormous size.”

4)  “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science.”

5)  “A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem.”

6)  “As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.”

7)  “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

8)  “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

9)  “Human knowledge and skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life. Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth.”

10)  “Information is not knowledge.”

11)  “The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.”

12)  “Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.”

13)  “In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep.”

14)  “Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler.”

15)  “A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.”

16)  “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”

17)  “Play is the highest form of research.”

18)  “God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically.”

19)  “Anyone who doesn’t take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.”

20)  “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.”

21)  “Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity.”

22)  “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.”

23)  “My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.”

24)  “Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down by the mind before you reach eighteen.”

25)  “The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking…the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.”