Bertrand Russell Quotes

Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives' mouths.
Bertrand Russell

Women, Men, Him

It is possible that mankind is on the threshold of a golden age; but, if so, it will be necessary first to slay the dragon that guards the door, and this dragon is religion.
Bertrand Russell

Age, Religion, Door

Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, Thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free.
Bertrand Russell

Great, Thought, Free

To teach how to live without certainty and yet without being paralysed by hesitation is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can do for those who study it.
Bertrand Russell

Age, Live, Philosophy

All movements go too far.
Bertrand Russell

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.
Bertrand Russell

Love, Sure, Fall

A truer image of the world, I think, is obtained by picturing things as entering into the stream of time from an eternal world outside, than from a view which regards time as the devouring tyrant of all that is.
Bertrand Russell

Time, View, Image

I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.
Bertrand Russell

Doubt, Philosophy, Wish

The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.
Bertrand Russell

Mankind, Redeem

Against my will, in the course of my travels, the belief that everything worth knowing was known at Cambridge gradually wore off. In this respect my travels were very useful to me.
Bertrand Russell

Respect, Everything, Off

I remain convinced that obstinate addiction to ordinary language in our private thoughts is one of the main obstacles to progress in philosophy.
Bertrand Russell

Philosophy, Thoughts, Addiction

Freedom in general may be defined as the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires.
Bertrand Russell

Freedom, May, Obstacles

The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an intellectual vice.
Bertrand Russell

Natural, Demand, Vice

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

Love, Happy, Person

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

Find, Wanted, Opposite

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

Freedom, Government, Opinion

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

Patriotism, Reasons, Trivial

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

Remember, Far, Word

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.
Bertrand Russell

Emotional, Himself, Belief

Many people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.
Bertrand Russell

Die, Fact, Sooner

There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths.
Bertrand Russell

Life, Help, Cannot

To acquire immunity to eloquence is of the utmost importance to the citizens of a democracy.
Bertrand Russell

Democracy, Importance, Eloquence

Awareness of universals is called conceiving, and a universal of which we are aware is called a concept.
Bertrand Russell

Universal, Aware, Awareness

Liberty is the right to do what I like; license, the right to do what you like.
Bertrand Russell

Liberty, License

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.
Bertrand Russell

Women, Men, Simple

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Biography

Nationality: British

Type: Philosopher

Born: May 18, 1872

Died: February 2, 1970

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Cite this Page: Citation

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