Bertrand Russell Quotes

"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

"A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live."

"The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt."

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts."

"The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge."

"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."

"The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."

"Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education."

"The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation."

"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."

"The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile."

"The secret to happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible."

"So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence."

"To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness."

"Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don't know."

"Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons."

"To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom."

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind."

"What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite."

"Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim."

"Many people when they fall in love look for a little haven of refuge from the world, where they can be sure of being admired when they are not admirable, and praised when they are not praiseworthy."

"When the intensity of emotional conviction subsides, a man who is in the habit of reasoning will search for logical grounds in favour of the belief which he finds in himself."

"Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy."

"The megalomaniac differs from the narcissist by the fact that he wishes to be powerful rather than charming, and seeks to be feared rather than loved. To this type belong many lunatics and most of the great men of history."

"The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd."

"We are faced with the paradoxical fact that education has become one of the chief obstacles to intelligence and freedom of thought."

"Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so."

"Much that passes as idealism is disguised hatred or disguised love of power."

"One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny."