About this quote

Einstein describes profound confidence in the rational order of nature as an emotional source of patient scientific work. The statement is concise, but its meaning becomes richer when read within his examples of Kepler and Newton laboring for years without easy rewards.

When to use it

• Use it to discuss the non-financial motives that sustain researchers through long periods of uncertainty and failed attempts.
• Pair it with a biography of Kepler or Newton when examining Einstein's examples of devotion to understanding natural order.
• Share it with a science team reflecting on how wonder, conviction, and disciplined evidence can reinforce one another.