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

  563 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

  325 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

  60 Copy quote

• Laughter is the most inexpensive and most effective wonder drug. Laughter is a universal medicine.

  Bertrand Russell

  Laughter, Medicine, Drug

  8 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

  194 Copy quote

• The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

  Bertrand Russell

  Inspirational, Life, Happiness

  263 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"

  208 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

  91 Copy quote

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

  Bertrand Russell

  Inspirational, Motivational, Happiness

  Bertrand Russell (2015). “The Conquest of Happiness”, p.15, Lulu Press, Inc

  46 Copy quote

• When you are studying any matter or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only: what are the facts, and what is the truth that the facts bear out. Never let yourself be diverted by what you wish to believe, but look only and surely at what are the facts.

  Bertrand Russell

  Philosophy, Believe, Wish

  BBC interview on "Face to Face", 1959.

  11 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

  291 Copy quote

• Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.

  Bertrand Russell

  Freedom, Thinking, Government

  Bertrand Russell, John Greer Slater, Peter Köllner (1996). “A Fresh Look at Empiricism: 1927-42”, p.443, Psychology Press

  20 Copy quote

• Almost all education has a political motive: it aims at strengthening some group, national or religious or even social, in the competition with other groups. It is this motive, in the main, which determines the subjects taught, the knowledge offered and the knowledge withheld, and also decides what mental habits the pupils are expected to acquire. Hardly anything is done to foster the inward growth of mind and spirit; in fact, those who have had the most education are very often atrophied in their mental and spiritual life.

  Bertrand Russell

  Spiritual, Religious, Educational

  "The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell, 1903-1959".

  30 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

  66 Copy quote

• While economics is about how people make choice, sociology is about how they don't have any choice to make.

  Bertrand Russell

  People, Choices, Economics

  9 Copy quote

• Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them.

  Bertrand Russell

  Clever, Stupid, Men

  "New Hopes for a Changing World". Part III: Man and Himself, Ch. 16: Ideas Which Have Become Obsolete, p. 158. Book by Bertrand Russell, 1951.

  20 Copy quote

• Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear.

  Bertrand Russell

  Fear, Men, Thinking

  Bertrand Russell (2009). “Unpopular Essays”, p.106, Routledge

  33 Copy quote

• One should as a rule 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 Russell

  Respect, Humor, Public Opinion

  "The Conquest of Happiness".

  80 Copy quote

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

  Bertrand Russell

  Inspirational, Funny, Patience

  39 Copy quote

• 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

  46 Copy quote

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

  Bertrand Russell

  Funny, Fear, Philosophy

  "Bertrand Russell's Greatest Paradox was His Faith" by Dan Delzell, www.christianpost.com. November 4, 2011.

  46 Copy quote

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

  Bertrand Russell

  Reality, Keys, Accepting

  36 Copy quote

• Passive acceptance of the teacher's wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes man to seek and to accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position.

  Bertrand Russell

  Leadership, Girl, Teacher

  Bertrand Russell (2009). “Why Men Fight”, p.106, Routledge

  73 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

  81 Copy quote

• Few people can be happy unless they hate some other person, nation, or creed.

  Bertrand Russell

  Happiness, Depressing, Hate

  40 Copy quote

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