--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In Einstein's equation, time is a river…" description: "\"In Einstein's equation, time is a river. It speeds up, meanders, and slows down. The new wrinkle is that it can have whirlpools and fork into two river..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/michio-kaku-907_bent_in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-i_2078820.jpg" --- # In Einstein's equation, time is a river. It speeds up… ![“In Einstein's equation, time is a river. It speeds up, meanders, and slows down. The new wrinkle is that it can have whirlpools and fork into two rivers. So, if the river of time can be bent into a pretzel, create whirlpools and fork into two rivers, then time travel cannot be ruled out.” quote by Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/michio-kaku-907_bent_in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-i_2078820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/michio-kaku-907_bent_in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-i_2078820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/michio-kaku-907_bent_in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-i_2078820.jpg) > “In Einstein's equation, time is a river. It speeds up, meanders, and slows down. The new wrinkle is that it can have whirlpools and fork into two rivers. So, if the river of time can be bent into a pretzel, create whirlpools and fork into two rivers, then time travel cannot be ruled out.” [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time is portrayed as a flowing river that can bend, split, and swirl, suggesting non‑linear possibilities like time travel. **In simple terms:** Time can flow in complex ways, hinting at travel. Key Takeaway Consider time’s flexibility in physics. Themes physics time theory speculation Mood curious speculative Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - science lectures - science fiction writing - philosophical debate - educational curricula Key Concepts relativity quantum mechanics causality Questions to Reflect On - How might a forked timeline affect causality? - What evidence supports non‑linear time? A Different Perspective Physical constraints may limit practical time travel. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Speeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speeds/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-travel/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Wrinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrinkle/) ## Related quotes > [Switchin' speeds like Bruce Lee ridin' up Fuji in a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redman/switchin-speeds-like-bruce-lee-ridin-up-fuji-in-a-movie/) [Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redman/) > [Perhaps genes did regulate the aging process. Perhaps different organisms had different life spans because a universal regulatory 'clock' was set to run at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kenyon/perhaps-genes-did-regulate-the-aging-process-perhaps-different/) [Cynthia Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kenyon/) > [I remember going from rookie ball to A, to double A, then to triple A. At every level it seemed like the game was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jeter/i-remember-going-from-rookie-ball-to-a-to-double-a-then-to-triple-a/) [Derek Jeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jeter/) > [The US player Andy Roddick reaches speeds of 220 kilometers per hour when he serves. If I train with him every day, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/the-us-player-andy-roddick-reaches-speeds-of-220-kilometers-per-hour/) [Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/) > [While we are postponing, life speeds by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/while-we-are-postponing-life-speeds-by/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [To live is to see, and traveling sometimes speeds up the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/to-live-is-to-see-and-traveling-sometimes-speeds-up-the-process/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [“There's always that someone that your heart speeds for, ever since you first saw them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nitya-prakash/there-s-always-that-someone-that-your-heart-speeds-for-ever-since-you/) [Nitya Prakash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nitya-prakash/) > [“Because we have a limited time, we cannot go slowly! Ignore anyone who is advising you to go slow! The faster we are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/because-we-have-a-limited-time-we-cannot-go-slowly-ignore-anyone-who/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [When you make music, you're forming these invisible vibrations in the air into different shapes and consistencies and speeds in order to create music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flea/when-you-make-music-you-re-forming-these-invisible-vibrations-in-the/) [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flea/) > [I have two speeds. Fast and faster. I don't just run. I take it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/i-have-two-speeds-fast-and-faster-i-don-t-just-run-i-take-it/) [Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/) > [Megaupload was a dual-use technology. You can use it for good things, and you can use it for bad things. If someone sends something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dotcom/megaupload-was-a-dual-use-technology-you-can-use-it-for-good-things/) [Kim Dotcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dotcom/) > [The principal reason for the universe's poker face is that its constituents are far away. Stars careen through space, and galaxies spin at speeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-principal-reason-for-the-universe-s-poker-face-is-that-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I'm working with two speeds today; slow and fuck you. Which one you want?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hill/i-m-working-with-two-speeds-today-slow-and-fuck-you-which-one-you-want/) [Nicole Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hill/) > [If you like, there is a Guinness time. The reason for that it's fundamental. It is not that we have to keep shortening the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-h-zewail/if-you-like-there-is-a-guinness-time-the-reason-for-that-it-s/) [Ahmed H. Zewail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-h-zewail/) > [“For Commander Ripley Jones, it was becoming more and more troublesome. It had been said that nothing is infallible, Antares apparently being the proof.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/for-commander-ripley-jones-it-was-becoming-more-and-more-troublesome/) [Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/) ## More by Michio Kaku > [“My fundamental premise about the brain is that its workings—what we sometimes call “mind”—are a consequence of its anatomy and physiology, and nothing more.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/my-fundamental-premise-about-the-brain-is-that-its-workings-what-we/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [I have nothing against investment banking, but it's like massaging money rather than creating money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-have-nothing-against-investment-banking-but-it-s-like-massaging/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [I am a figure skater, which helps me appreciate Newton's theory of mechanics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-am-a-figure-skater-which-helps-me-appreciate-newton-s-theory-of/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [If space is a fabric, then of course fabrics can have ripples, which we have now seen directly. But fabrics can also rip. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/if-space-is-a-fabric-then-of-course-fabrics-can-have-ripples-which-we/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [The best theory comes from string theory, which states that dark matter is nothing but a higher vibration of the string. We are, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/the-best-theory-comes-from-string-theory-which-states-that-dark/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [The media, of course, loves to make claims about the fountain of youth. Don't believe it. No one has it. But we're getting close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/the-media-of-course-loves-to-make-claims-about-the-fountain-of-youth/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Consciousness-one level is understanding where we are in space. Consciousness two is where we understand our position in society: who's top dog, who's underdog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/consciousness-one-level-is-understanding-where-we-are-in-space/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [It would take a civilization far more advanced than ours, unbelievably advanced, to begin to manipulate negative energy to create gateways to the past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/it-would-take-a-civilization-far-more-advanced-than-ours-unbelievably/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [A human body can think thoughts, play a piano, kill germs, remove toxins, make a baby all at once. Once it's doing that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/a-human-body-can-think-thoughts-play-a-piano-kill-germs-remove-toxins/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“I’m as fond of my body as anyone, but if I can be 200 with a body of silicon, I’ll take it. —DANIEL HILL,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-m-as-fond-of-my-body-as-anyone-but-if-i-can-be-200-with-a-body-of/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Science is about principles. It's about concepts. It's not about memorizing the parts of a flower. It helps to know some of these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/science-is-about-principles-it-s-about-concepts-it-s-not-about/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [A related aspect of intelligent consciousness is delay of gratification: the wisdom to accurately predict whether delay rather than acting on impulse will yield…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/a-related-aspect-of-intelligent-consciousness-is-delay-of/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“There are an estimated 100 billion neurons residing inside the skull with an exponential amount of neural connections”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/there-are-an-estimated-100-billion-neurons-residing-inside-the-skull/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“But on the question of whether the robots will eventually take over, he { Rodney A. Brooks } says that this will probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/but-on-the-question-of-whether-the-robots-will-eventually-take-over/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [The idea that excites me the most concerns the two greatest puzzles in science: the origin of the universe, and the origin of consciousness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/the-idea-that-excites-me-the-most-concerns-the-two-greatest-puzzles/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) [Explore all 328 Michio Kaku quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) ## More Bent quotes > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [The longer I live, the more it grieves me to see man, who occupies his supreme place for the very purpose of imposing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-longer-i-live-the-more-it-grieves-me-to-see-man-who-occupies-his/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Old age likes to dwell in the recollections of the past, and, mistaking, the speedy march of years, often is inclined to take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/old-age-likes-to-dwell-in-the-recollections-of-the-past-and-mistaking/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [The Lord expects us to enjoy our lives. He says there will be some brutal times, but we shouldn't get all bent out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-henderson/the-lord-expects-us-to-enjoy-our-lives-he-says-there-will-be-some/) [Paul Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-henderson/) > [I was married to a law student, and I used to attend classes with him at Georgetown University Law Center. Being of dramatic bent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luanne-rice/i-was-married-to-a-law-student-and-i-used-to-attend-classes-with-him/) [Luanne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luanne-rice/) > [The person who is bent on killing you will follow you wherever you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-person-who-is-bent-on-killing-you-will-follow-you-wherever-you-are/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/my-heart-is-like-a-singing-bird-whose-nest-is-in-a-water-d-shoot-my/) [Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/) > [If art is singular expression, then by nature, the best art is controversial. But when art stirs debate for reasons besides its artistic integrity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/if-art-is-singular-expression-then-by-nature-the-best-art-is/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [I refer to the misunderstanding of Soviet Russia as an aggressive power, militaristically and ideologically bent upon world domination 'seeing', to quote a recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/i-refer-to-the-misunderstanding-of-soviet-russia-as-an-aggressive/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [Blessed are the flexible for they will not allow themselves to become bent out of shape!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/blessed-are-the-flexible-for-they-will-not-allow-themselves-to-become/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [But how carve way i' the life that lies before, If bent on groaning ever for the past?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/but-how-carve-way-i-the-life-that-lies-before-if-bent-on-groaning/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [Be Yourself -The man who is neither bent upon pleasing his fellows nor afraid of offending them will enjoy great peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/be-yourself-the-man-who-is-neither-bent-upon-pleasing-his-fellows-nor/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [When the world grinds you down, bent to tear you apart, cling to what you hold dear, and stay true to your heart. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/when-the-world-grinds-you-down-bent-to-tear-you-apart-cling-to-what/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [At the drabber moments of my life (swilling some excrement from the steps, for instance, or rooting with a bent coat-hanger down a blocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/at-the-drabber-moments-of-my-life-swilling-some-excrement-from-the/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [It's very confusing when fame comes early on in your career. You get a little bit bent out of shape in terms of what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-clayton/it-s-very-confusing-when-fame-comes-early-on-in-your-career-you-get-a/) [Adam Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-clayton/) Browse all 641 Bent quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In Einstein's equation, time is a river. It speeds up, meanders, and slows down. The new wrinkle is that it can have whirlpools and fork into two rivers. So, if the river of time can be bent into a pretzel, create whirlpools and fork into two rivers, then time travel cannot be ruled out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michio Kaku" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-it-speeds-up-meanders-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-it-speeds-up-meanders-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/michio-kaku-907_bent_in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-i_2078820.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/michio-kaku-907_bent_in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-i_2078820.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/michio-kaku-907_bent_in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-i_2078820.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In Einstein's equation, time is a river. It speeds up, meanders, and slows down. The new wrinkle is that it…” — Michio Kaku", "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": "Michio Kaku", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In Einstein's equation, time is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-it-speeds-up-meanders-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/in-einstein-s-equation-time-is-a-river-it-speeds-up-meanders-and/#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 } } ] } ```