Bertrand Russell Quotes

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

  Bertrand Russell

  Education, Confidence, Wisdom

  556 Copy quote

• The first step in a fascist movement is the combination under an energetic leader of a number of men who possess more than the average share of leisure, brutality, and stupidity. The next step is to fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent, by emotional excitement on the one hand and terrorism on the other.

  Bertrand Russell

  Intelligent, Men, Emotional

  Bertrand Russell, John Greer Slater, Peter Köllner (1996). “A Fresh Look at Empiricism: 1927-42”, p.441, Psychology Press

  323 Copy quote

• If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.

  Bertrand Russell

  Thinking, Deep Life, Opinion

  Bertrand Russell (2009). “Unpopular Essays”, p.99, Routledge

  57 Copy quote
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  Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education.

  Bertrand Russell

  Education, Stupid, School

  Bertrand Russell (2013). “History of Western Philosophy: Collectors Edition”, p.578, Routledge

  192 Copy quote

• The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

  Bertrand Russell

  Inspirational, Life, Happiness

  260 Copy quote
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  Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.

  Bertrand Russell

  Inspirational, Motivational, Fear

  Unpopular Essays (1950) "Outline of Intellectual Rubbish"

  204 Copy quote

• Religion is based ... mainly upon fear ... fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race.

  Bertrand Russell

  Atheist, Race, Views

  288 Copy quote

• The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith.

  Bertrand Russell

  Love, Real, Things In Life

  63 Copy quote

• To understand the actual world as it is, not as we should wish it to be, is the beginning of wisdom.

  Bertrand Russell

  Wisdom, Wish, World

  Bertrand Russell (2009). “Mortals and Others”, p.318, Routledge

  90 Copy quote

• The key to happiness is accepting one unpleasant reality every day.

  Bertrand Russell

  Reality, Keys, Accepting

  33 Copy quote

• Be isolated, be ignored, be attacked, be in doubt, be frightened, but do not be silenced.

  Bertrand Russell

  Doubt, Ignored, Frightened

  Bertrand Russell, Barry Feinberg, Ronald Kasrils (1969). “Dear Bertrand Russell ... a selection of his correspondence with the general public, 1950-1968”, Allen & Unwin

  19 Copy quote

• In the visible world, the Milky Way is a tiny fragment; within this fragment, the solar system is an infinitesimal speck, and of this speck our planet is a microscopic dot. On this dot, tiny lumps of impure carbon and water, of complicated structure, with somewhat unusual physical and chemical properties, crawl about for a few years, until they are dissolved again into the elements of which they are compounded.

  Bertrand Russell

  Years, Water, Elements

  Bertrand Russell (2004). “Sceptical Essays”, p.19, Psychology Press

  13 Copy quote

• A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime.

  Bertrand Russell

  Smile, Memories, Lasts

  23 Copy quote

• There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.

  Bertrand Russell

  Knowledge, Useless, Pleasure

  "In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays". Book by Bertrand Russell, Ch. 2: 'Useless' Knowledge, 1935.

  105 Copy quote

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

  Bertrand Russell

  Education, Truth, Religion

  Marriage and Morals ch. 5 (1929)

  124 Copy quote

• Belief systems provide a programme which relieves the necessity of thought.

  Bertrand Russell

  Belief, Belief Systems, Programmes

  28 Copy quote

• Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken.

  Bertrand Russell

  Inspirational, Government, Intelligence

  Bertrand Russell (2004). “Sceptical Essays”, p.2, Psychology Press

  81 Copy quote

• An Honest politician will not be tolerated by a democracy unless he is very stupid ... because only a very stupid man can honestly share the prejudices of more than half the nation.

  Bertrand Russell

  Stupid, Men, Cynical

  Bertrand Russell (1971). “Ladislas Reymont: Romain Rolland ; Bertrand Russell”

  173 Copy quote

• Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.

  Bertrand Russell

  Xenophobia, Fear, Racism

  Bertrand Russell (2009). “The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell”, p.70, Routledge

  115 Copy quote

• The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.

  Bertrand Russell

  Challenges, Way, Problem

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

  Bertrand Russell

  Education, Art, Philosophy

  Bertrand Russell, Richard A. Rempel, Beryl Haslam (2000). “Uncertain Paths to Freedom: Russia and China, 1919-22”, p.356, Psychology Press

  106 Copy quote

• Love is wise; hatred is foolish. In this world, which is getting more and more closely interconnected, we have to learn to tolerate each other, we have to learn to put up with the fact that some people say things that we don't like. We can only live together in that way. But if we are to live together, and not die together, we must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance, which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet.

  Bertrand Russell

  Wise, Love Is, People

  "Bertrand Russell’s Message to People Living in the Year 2959: 'Love is Wise, Hatred is Foolish'". www.openculture.com. February 11, 2015.

  196 Copy quote

• Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth - more than ruin, more even than death. Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habits; thought is anarchic and lawless, indifferent to authority, careless of the well-tried wisdom of the ages. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid ... Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.

  Bertrand Russell

  Courage, Men, Light

  Bertrand Russell (2009). “Why Men Fight”, p.107, Routledge

  78 Copy quote

• War doesn't determine who's right, it determines who's left

  Bertrand Russell

  War, Determine, Left

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• No great achievement is possible without persistent work.

  Bertrand Russell

  Perseverance, Persistence, Achievement

  Bertrand Russell (2015). “The Conquest of Happiness”, p.35, Lulu Press, Inc

  43 Copy quote

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