Till now it was believed that time and space existed by themselves, even if there was nothing — no Sun, no Earth, no stars — while now we know that time and space are not the vessel for the Universe, but could not exist at all if there were no contents, namely, no Sun, no Earth, and other celestial bodies.

New York Times, April 4, 1921, The distinction between past, present and future is only an illusion, even, if a stubborn one.