Quote of the day by Albert Einstein: It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend only...
“It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.”
These words by Albert Einstein were part of a longer conversation on curiosity published in LIFE magazine on May 2, 1955, shortly after his death. The quote is often circulated in slightly different forms, but the published version is documented. advertisement❮❯ Read Full StoryTHE PHYSICIST WHO KEPT ASKING QUESTIONSBorn in Ulm, Germany, on March 14, 1879, Einstein became one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century. His work on relativity transformed modern physics, while his explanation of the photoelectric effect earned him the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Yet Einstein’s own words often turned away from achievement and towards curiosity. In the 1955 LIFE conversation, he stressed that questioning itself mattered. His point was simple: a person does not need to understand every mystery immediately. Trying to understand a small part of it each day is enough.
The quote presents learning as a continuing process rather than a race towards having all the answers. The “mystery” refers to the parts of life, nature and reality that remain difficult to understand.
For Einstein, curiosity meant staying willing to ask questions, wonder about what is not known and keep exploring. The same LIFE conversation ended with his advice: “Never lose a holy curiosity.”
Einstein returned to the idea of curiosity, imagination and wonder in several of his writings and interviews.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” The remark appeared in his 1929 interview with George Sylvester Viereck in The Saturday Evening Post.
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” This appeared in Einstein’s essay What I Believe, published in 1930.
“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.” This was also recorded in the May 2, 1955 LIFE article.
Einstein’s words on curiosity remain closely tied to the way he viewed knowledge: not as something to finish, but something to keep exploring.- EndsRead | Quote of the day by Albert Einstein: Imagination is more important than…Read | Quote of the Day by Albert Einstein: The important thing is not to stop questioning
