Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist whose work reshaped modern physics, most famously through the theories of special and general relativity. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. The line about logic and imagination is widely attributed to him, but its source is uncertain: it is not reliably connected to a specific speech, book, or other primary source. It is best treated as a popular saying associated with Einstein, rather than a quotation with a confirmed origin.
The thought contrasts two kinds of possibility. Logic helps us reason carefully, follow evidence, and make a route from one point to another. Imagination lets us picture destinations we have not yet reached—and sometimes paths that existing knowledge has not revealed. That does not make logic unimportant; bold ideas still need testing and refinement. The quote resonates because it gives both qualities their due while celebrating the spark that makes discovery possible. In science, art, and everyday life, practical reasoning can solve the problem in front of us, while imagination can change what we think is possible in the first place.