Today’s thought builds on two quotes by one of my favorite thinkers, Albert Einstein. He made his reputation as a scientist, but I believe he was as much philosopher as scientist—perhaps the key to his success.

Einstein said:

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Einstein’s genius came from his ability to employ imagination to see things never conceived by other scientists. He was a master of “thought experiments”. While most scientists use test tubes and equipment to test hypotheses, the theories Einstein was pursuing were not testable in a laboratory.

He had to rely on imagination and curiosity to verify his ideas. He had to open his mind and expand his soul to see possibilities where others saw only emptiness. He literally gave birth to some of the greatest ideas in human history directly out of the cosmic void.

One example is the thought experiment that led Einstein to his special theory of relativity. He famously imagined himself racing with a beam of light. He reported an epiphany when he “saw” time slow as he approached the speed of light.

Einstein followed his curiosity. He abandoned old paradigms at a time when many of his colleagues believed those paradigms immutable. The new ideas that resulted fundamentally transformed the world and our conception of it.

What about you? You see, there was nothing unique about Albert Einstein. He was intellectually brilliant, no doubt. However, by his admission, the difference makers are curiosity and imagination.

Are you willing to allow your curiosity and imagination to carry you beyond the physical and mental horizons that have become your defacto life boundaries?

The power is right there within you. Release it today. Have some fun with it. Who knows how your curiosity and imagination will change the world. A hundred years from now it just may be your story of discovery inspiring humanity.

Ray Davis is a writer and thinker based in the American Midwest. He researches and writes on national and geopolitical issues focused on respect for the dignity and personal freedom of the human being. He currently serves as editor of The Free Kansan — the official newsletter of the Kansas Libertarian Party. His articles and poetry have been featured on numerous sites around the Internet.