"The strange thing about growing old is that the intimate identification with the here and now is slowly lost; one feels transposed into infinity, more or less alone, no longer in hope or fear, only observing." - Albert Einstein

Wisdom Life

“The strange thing about growing old is that the intimate identification with the here and now is slowly lost; one feels transposed into infinity, more or less alone, no longer in hope or fear, only observing.”

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Source: Letter to Queen Mother Elisabeth of Belgium (12 January 1953), Einstein Archive 32-405. Quoted in Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel by Banesh Hoffman (1973), p. 261, and also partially quoted (with a reference to the exact date of the letter) in Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson (…

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This source-reviewed Einstein quotation develops a complete idea around strange, thing, growing. The wording "The strange thing about growing old is that the intimate…" is tied to Letter to Queen Mother Elisabeth of Belgium (12 January 1953), Einstein Archive 32-405. Q…, so readers can connect its themes of wisdom and life to a documented context rather than a detached slogan.

When to use it

Use "The strange thing about growing old is that the intimate…" in a wisdom discussion, then ask which concrete claim the wording makes.
Compare its treatment of strange with thing in a lesson, essay, or editorial note before drawing a conclusion.
When publishing or narrating it, retain the documented source trail to Letter to Queen Mother Elisabeth of Belgium (12 January 1953), Einstein Archive 32-405. Q… so the quotation stays connected to its original context.