Few people can be happy unless they hate some other person, nation, or creed.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Happiness, Hate
The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holders lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man.
—Bertrand A. Russell
To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Civilization, Intelligence
Machines are worshipped because they are beautiful and valued because they confer power; they are hated because they are hideous and loathed because they impose slavery.
—Bertrand A. Russell
The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an intellectual vice. … But so long as men are not trained to withhold judgment in the absence of evidence, they will be led astray by cocksure prophets, and it is likely that their leaders will be either ignorant fanatics or dishonest charlatans. To endure uncertainty is difficult, but so are most of the other virtues.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Facts
What the world needs is not dogma but an attitude of scientific inquiry combined with a belief that the torture of millions is not desirable, whether inflicted by Stalin or by a Deity imagined in the likeness of the believer.
—Bertrand A. Russell
To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Happiness, Blessings, Adversity, Joy, Contentment
There will still be things that machines cannot do. They will not produce great art or great literature or great philosophy; they will not be able to discover the secret springs of happiness in the human heart; they will know nothing of love and friendship.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Technology, Computers
No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Gossip, Secrets, Vice
Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Science, Scientists
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widely spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Truth, Opinion, Opinions
Indignation is a submission of our thoughts, but not of our desires.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Anger
One should respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Freedom, Opinions
My sad conviction is that people can only agree about what they’re not really interested in.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Beggars do not envy millionaires, though of course they will envy other beggars who are more successful.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Goals, Opportunities, Reality
I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Opinions, Philosophy
The slave is doomed to worship time and fate and death, because they are greater than anything he finds in himself, and because all his thoughts are of things which they devour.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Slavery
All the important human advances that we know of since historical times began have been due to individuals of whom the majority faced virulent public opposition.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Progress
What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the wish to find out, which is the exact opposite.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Belief
Science may set limits to knowledge, but should not set limits to imagination.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Science
Right discipline consists, not in external compulsion, but in the habits of mind which lead spontaneously to desirable rather than undesirable activities.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Discipline
To expect a personality to survive the disintegration of the brain is like expecting a cricket club to survive when all of its members are dead.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Soul
We know too much and feel too little. At least, we feel too little of those creative emotions from which a good life springs.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Emotions
Every living thing is a sort of imperialist, seeking to transform as much as possible of its environment into itself…. When we compare the (present) human population of the globe with … that of former times, we see that “chemical imperialism” has been … the main end to which human intelligence has been devoted.
—Bertrand A. Russell
The theoretical understanding of the world, which is the aim of philosophy, is not a matter of great practical importance to animals, or to savages, or even to most civilized men.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Understanding
The good life is inspired by love and guided by knowledge.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Love, One liners
Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: War
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Doubt, Foolishness, Activism, Wisdom, Fools
The secret to happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible
—Bertrand A. Russell
Topics: Happiness
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- John Stuart Mill English Philosopher, Economist
- Charles Sanders Peirce American Philosopher
- Jeremy Bentham British Philosopher, Economist
- Ludwig Wittgenstein Austrian-born British Philosopher
- David Hume Scottish Philosopher, Historian
- Christopher Hitchens Anglo-American Social Critic
- Alfred North Whitehead English Mathematician, Philosopher
- Karl Popper Austrian-born British Philosopher
- Arthur C. Clarke English Science-fiction Writer
- R. G. Collingwood British Historian, Philosopher
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