“Thus I came—despite the fact that I was the son of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents—to a deep religiosity, which, however, found an abrupt ending at the age of 12.”

— Albert Einstein

1940s, "Autobiographical Notes" (1949)
Context: Even when I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality. Moreover, I soon discovered the cruelty of that chase, which in those years was much more carefully covered up by hypocrisy and glittering words than is the case today. By the mere existence of his stomach everyone was condemned to participate in that chase. Moreover, it was possible to satisfy the stomach by such participation, but not man in so far as he is a thinking and feeling being. As the first way out there was religion, which is implanted into every child by way of the traditional education-machine. Thus I came—despite the fact that I was the son of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents—to a deep religiosity, which, however, found an abrupt ending at the age of 12. Through the reading of popular scientific books I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true. The consequence was a positively fanatic [orgy of] freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state through lies; it was a crushing impression. Suspicion against every kind of authority grew out of this experience, a skeptical attitude towards the convictions which were alive in any specific social environment—an attitude which has never again left me, even though later on, because of a better insight into the causal connections, it lost some of its original poignancy.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Thus I came—despite the fact that I was the son of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents—to a deep religiosity, which, …" by Albert Einstein?

Albert Einstein 702

German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativi… 1879–1955

Related quotes

“However, he was born in Copenhagen, of Jewish parents, of the Portuguese Jewish community there.”

Georg Cantor (1845–1918) mathematician, inventor of set theory

Of his father. In a letter written by Georg Cantor to Paul Tannery in 1896 (Paul Tannery, Memoires Scientifique 13 Correspondance, Gauthier-Villars, Paris, 1934, p. 306)

“Despite the fact that my weapons and armor are in desperate need of repair, I blow the entire reward on ale and whores.”

Scott Kurtz book PvP

PvP, Thursday, November 11, 1999 http://www.pvponline.com/comic/1999/11/11/thu-nov-11/
PvP (1998)

“At Basel, I founded the Jewish State”

Theodor Herzl (1860–1904) Austro-Hungarian journalist and writer

Herzl Diary entry (3 September 1897), a few days after the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, as quoted in 'Nonstate Nations in International Politics: Comparative System Analyses (1977) by Judy S. Bertelsen, p. 37
:Note: 50 years after writing this in his diary, the state of Israel was established
Context: Were I to sum up the Basel Congress in a word — which I shall guard against pronouncing publicly — it would be this: At Basel, I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal laughter. Perhaps in five years, certainly in fifty, everyone will know it.

“At eleven o’clock this morning came to an end the cruellest and most terrible War that has ever scourged mankind. I hope we may say that thus, this fateful morning, came to an end all wars.”

David Lloyd George (1863–1945) Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Speech http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1918/nov/11/time-limit-for-reply in the House of Commons (11 November 1918)
Prime Minister

“My friends are appeased to stay in Odessa for their entire lives. They are appeased to age like their parents, and become parents like their parents. They do not desire anything more than everything they have known.”

Jonathan Safran Foer book Everything Is Illuminated

Everything Is Illuminated (2002)

“I wrote my songs despite the fact that I was a drunk, not because of it.”

Warren Zevon (1947–2003) American singer-songwriter

As quoted in "Warren Zevon: Singer-songwriter author of 'Werewolves of London'" by Spencer Leigh, The Independent (9 September 2003) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/warren-zevon-548722.html