“We experience ourselves our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.”
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Attribution note
No reliable primary or scholarly source confirms this exact wording as Albert Einstein's. It is widely circulated under his name and is listed as commonly attributed.
About this quote
This wording, beginning "We experience ourselves our thoughts and feelings as something separate…," circulates under Einstein's name and focuses on experience, ourselves, thoughts. No strong source for the exact text was found, so the page presents it as commonly attributed while still explaining its practical connection to love and life.
When to use it
- Use "We experience ourselves our thoughts and feelings as something separate…" in a love discussion, then ask which concrete claim the wording makes.
- Compare its treatment of experience with ourselves in a lesson, essay, or editorial note before drawing a conclusion.
- Before sharing it as Einstein's exact words, display the attribution caveat and follow the evidence link recorded on the page.