Original artwork, not a still
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The words fans share are looser than the letter: Einstein was talking about time, specifically that past, present and future are not sharply divided, while the meme turns it into a claim that the whole world is unreal. That drift is why it suits mystics, science-fiction fans and Matrix-style posts. The original is quieter and sadder, a physicist consoling himself for a dead friend with his own theory.
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In context
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This is a popular paraphrase, not Einstein's exact words. The source is a letter of condolence Einstein wrote to the family of his oldest friend Michele Besso, a fellow patent-office engineer, after Besso died in Geneva in March 1955. Einstein wrote that Besso had gone a little ahead of him in leaving this strange world, which meant nothing, since for physicists who believe, the split between past, present and future is only an illusion, though a stubborn one. Einstein died about a month later, on 18 April 1955.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: Michele BessoDeath and Einstein's condolence letterReference checked
- Wikiquote: Albert EinsteinAutobiographical Notes (1949) heading and book title noteReference checked
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