"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle"
About this Quote
The word “miracle” is doing double duty. In a traditional religious register, a miracle is a violation of natural law. Einstein didn’t believe in that kind of interventionist magic. His “miracle” is closer to the brute improbability of there being anything at all - a secular reverence for order, intelligibility, and the uncanny fit between human math and cosmic behavior. The subtext is almost a rebuke to both cynics and zealots: the cynic refuses astonishment because it feels naive; the zealot wants astonishment to prove a doctrine. Einstein offers a third lane where awe is compatible with rigor.
Context matters. In the early 20th century, science was remaking common sense, and modernity’s promise often came packaged with disenchantment. Einstein’s public persona became a kind of cultural bridge: the scientist as sage, translating complexity into moral mood. This quote works because it doesn’t argue you into wonder; it shames you out of boredom.
Quote Details
| Topic | Meaning of Life |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Einstein, Albert. (2026, January 15). There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/there-are-two-ways-to-live-you-can-live-as-if-33090/
Chicago Style
Einstein, Albert. "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/there-are-two-ways-to-live-you-can-live-as-if-33090/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/there-are-two-ways-to-live-you-can-live-as-if-33090/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.










