The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. That is why they invented hell. — Bertrand Russell
The fundamental concept in social science is power, in the same sense in which energy — Bertrand Russell
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd. — Bertrand Russell
The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an intellectual vice. — Bertrand Russell
So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the gospels in praise of intelligence. — Bertrand Russell
Religions, which condemn the pleasures of sense, drive men to seek the pleasures of power. — Bertrand Russell
Why is propaganda so much more successful when it stirs up hatred than when it tries — Bertrand Russell
What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite. — Bertrand Russell
When the intensity of emotional conviction subsides, a man who is in the habit of reasoning — Bertrand Russell
To understand a name you must be acquainted with the particular of which it is a name. — Bertrand Russell
Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to — Bertrand Russell
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for — Bertrand Russell
Those who forget good and evil and seek only to know the facts are more likely to achieve — Bertrand Russell
There is no need to worry about mere size. We do not necessarily respect a fat man — Bertrand Russell
There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils — Bertrand Russell
The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. — Bertrand Russell
Real life is, to most men … a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible. — Bertrand Russell
With the introduction of agriculture mankind entered upon a long period of meanness — Bertrand Russell
Work is of two kinds: first, altering a position of matter at or near the earth’s. — Bertrand Russell
To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without, being paralyzed by hesitation — Bertrand Russell
A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfying, but a life in which adventure — Bertrand Russell
A great many worries can be diminished by realizing the unimportance of the matter which is causing anxiety. — Bertrand Russell
A sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal relations. People wish to be liked — Bertrand Russell
The essence of the liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: — Bertrand Russell
By studying the principles of symbolism we can learn not to be unconsciously influenced by language.. — Bertrand Russell
The central problem of our age is how to act decisively in the absence of certainty. — Bertrand Russell
It is only in marriage with the world that our ideals can bear fruit; divorced from it, they remain barren. — Bertrand Russell
Continuity of purpose is one of the most essential ingredients of happiness in the long run — Bertrand Russell