Letter of Bertrand Russell
The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.
Bertrand RussellCollective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.
Bertrand RussellMen who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact.
Bertrand RussellA stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.
Bertrand RussellWhat 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 RussellAll exact science is dominated by the idea of approximation.
Bertrand RussellMathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true.
Bertrand RussellWe know too much and feel too little. At least, we feel too little of those creative emotions from which a good life springs.
Bertrand RussellOf all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.
Bertrand RussellAll movements go too far.
Bertrand RussellWhen he followed the instincts which God had transmitted to him from his ancestry of beasts of prey, he called it sin and asked God to forgive him.
Bertrand RussellThe degree of one's emotions varies inversely with one's knowledge of the facts.
Bertrand RussellFear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom, in the pursuit of truth as in the endeavour after a worthy manner of life.
Bertrand RussellTo be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level.
Bertrand RussellI've always thought respectable people scoundrels, and I look anxiously at my face every morning for signs of my becoming a scoundrel.
Bertrand RussellFear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
Bertrand RussellIf a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
Bertrand RussellNeither 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 RussellFreedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.
Bertrand RussellIt is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
Bertrand Russell
