--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not believe in immortality of the…" description: "\"I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/albert-einstein-33_authority_i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-i_939785.jpg" --- # I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I… ![“I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.” quote by Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/albert-einstein-33_authority_i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-i_939785.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/albert-einstein-33_authority_i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-i_939785.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/albert-einstein-33_authority_i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-i_939785.jpg) > “I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.” [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ethics are a human construct without divine authority, emphasizing personal responsibility **In simple terms:** Ethics are human‑made and personal Key Takeaway Take responsibility for ethical choices Themes philosophy ethics humanism Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal decision making - professional conduct - public policy - education reform Key Concepts moral philosophy secularism Questions to Reflect On - What guides your moral decisions? - Can societies agree on universal ethics? A Different Perspective Critics argue that without higher authority, moral standards can become relativistic ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-immortality-816062/) [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Consider Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-ethics-680552/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Ethics Exclusively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics-exclusively-1596494/) [Exclusively Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exclusively-human-1596496/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Immortality Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality-individual-1596495/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Superhuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superhuman/) ## Related quotes > [“I do not believe in the immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern without any superhuman authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-not-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-individual-and-i-consider/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Of moral purpose I see no trace in Nature. That is an article of exclusively human manufacture and very much to our credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/of-moral-purpose-i-see-no-trace-in-nature-that-is-an-article-of/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [I've handled colour as a man should behave. You may conclude that I consider ethics and aesthetics as one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/i-ve-handled-colour-as-a-man-should-behave-you-may-conclude-that-i/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as-supplements-to-law-in-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Do you believe in immortality? No, and one life is enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/do-you-believe-in-immortality-no-and-one-life-is-enough-for-me/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There may be beings, thinking beings, near or surrounding us, which we do not perceive, which we cannot imagine. We know very little; but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphry-davy/there-may-be-beings-thinking-beings-near-or-surrounding-us-which-we/) [Humphry Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphry-davy/) > [Our desire for immortality through our individual & collective creativity despite inevitable death is the only truly funny thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-desire-for-immortality-through-our-individual-collective/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To desire immortality for the individual is really the same as wanting to perpetuate an error forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/to-desire-immortality-for-the-individual-is-really-the-same-as/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [It strikes me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a few of them for boundless admiration, attributing superhuman powers of mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-strikes-me-as-unfair-and-even-in-bad-taste-to-select-a-few-of-them/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [We do not believe in immortality because we can't prove it, but we try to prove it because we cannot help believing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-martineau/we-do-not-believe-in-immortality-because-we-can-t-prove-it-but-we-try/) [Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-martineau/) > [Believe in the immortality and everlasting effects of your goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-muller/believe-in-the-immortality-and-everlasting-effects-of-your-goodness/) [Robert Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-muller/) > [I believe in the immortality of the Theatre, it is a most joyous place to hide, for all those who have secretly put their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-reinhardt/i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-theatre-it-is-a-most-joyous-place/) [Max Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-reinhardt/) > [I do not believe I have any immortality. The greatest evil in the world today is the Christian religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/i-do-not-believe-i-have-any-immortality-the-greatest-evil-in-the/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [I believe in the immortality of all creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egon-schiele/i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-all-creatures/) [Egon Schiele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egon-schiele/) > [I believe in the immortality of the soul because I have within me immortal longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-soul-because-i-have-within-me/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) ## More by Albert Einstein > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The strongest force in the universe is Compound Interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-strongest-force-in-the-universe-is-compound-interest/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The right to search for the truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-right-to-search-for-the-truth-implies-also-a-duty-one-must-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/everything-that-is-really-great-and-inspiring-is-created-by-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The world we have made is a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-world-we-have-made-is-a-result-of-the-level-of-thinking-we-have/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Life isn't worth living, unless it is lived for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/life-isn-t-worth-living-unless-it-is-lived-for-someone-else/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/just-because-you-don-t-believe-in-something-doesn-t-mean-it-isn-t-true/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [But there is another reason for the high repute of mathematics: it is mathematics that offers the exact natural sciences a certain measure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/but-there-is-another-reason-for-the-high-repute-of-mathematics-it-is/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-will-benefit-human-health-and-increase-the-chances-for/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) [Explore all 2,339 Albert Einstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Albert Einstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-individual-and-i-consider/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authority" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-individual-and-i-consider/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/albert-einstein-33_authority_i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-i_939785.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/albert-einstein-33_authority_i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-i_939785.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/albert-einstein-33_authority_i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-i_939785.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern…” — Albert Einstein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Albert Einstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do not believe in immortality...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-individual-and-i-consider/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-individual-and-i-consider/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```