Interview: What Life Means to Einstein · 26 October 1929
Imagination is more important than knowledge
The familiar short sentence appears verbatim in the 1929 interview. Einstein’s complete documented thought continues by contrasting limited knowledge with imagination that encircles the world.
Popular wording
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
Documented wording
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Context
What the interview actually discusses
Viereck asks about sudden advances in science and whether Einstein’s discoveries came from intuition or inspiration. The quotation follows Einstein’s account of trusting intuition while still testing a scientific hypothesis against evidence.
Translation note
The Source Center follows the English wording printed in The Saturday Evening Post. Later reprints and translations may use slightly different punctuation or wording.
- Author
- Albert Einstein
- Document
- Interview: What Life Means to Einstein
- Interviewer
- George Sylvester Viereck
- Publication
- The Saturday Evening Post
- Date
- 26 October 1929
Primary magazine scan
Read the 1929 interview in The Saturday Evening Post.
The external PDF is a scan of George Sylvester Viereck’s interview “What Life Means to Einstein,” published on 26 October 1929.