Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, essayist, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate. Profoundly inspirational Bertrand Russell quotes will make you look at life differently and help you live a meaningful life.
If you’re searching for deep quotes by philosophers that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of quotes from Diogenes, powerful Epictetus quotes and famous Epicurus quotes.
Famous Bertrand Russell Quotes
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
There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it. Bertrand Russell
Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education. Bertrand Russell
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric. Bertrand Russell
Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim. Bertrand Russell
Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness. Bertrand Russell
The secret to happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible. Bertrand Russell
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. Bertrand Russell
Mathematics 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 Russell
To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already 3 parts dead. Bertrand Russell
Men who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact. Bertrand Russell
I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. Bertrand Russell
The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation. Bertrand Russell
A 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 Russell
A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live. Bertrand Russell
And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence. Bertrand Russell
Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons. Bertrand Russell
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong have governed my life the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. Bertrand Russell
Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principles of liberty, which are embodied in one maxim The fortunate must not be restrained in the exercise of tyranny over the unfortunate. Bertrand Russell
In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. Bertrand Russell
Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don’t know. Bertrand Russell
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 made them. Bertrand Russell
Much that passes as idealism is disguised hatred or disguised love of power. Bertrand Russell
I do not pretend to be able to prove that there is no God. I equally cannot prove that Satan is a fiction. The Christian god may exist; so may the gods of Olympus, or of ancient Egypt, or of Babylon. But no one of these hypotheses is more probable than any other they lie outside the region of even probable knowledge, and therefore there is no reason to consider any of them. Bertrand Russell
In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. Bertrand Russell
One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. Bertrand Russell
Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. Bertrand Russell
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
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. That is why they invented Hell. Bertrand Russell
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. Bertrand Russell
Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness. Bertrand Russell
It’s easy to fall in love. The hard part is finding someone to catch you. Bertrand Russell
The fundamental concept in social science is Power, in the same sense in which Energy is the fundamental concept in physics. Bertrand Russell
To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can still do for those who study it. Bertrand Russell
Drunkenness is temporary suicide. Bertrand Russell
Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. Bertrand Russell
I’ve made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk with my gardener, I’m convinced of the opposite. Bertrand Russell
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
What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite. Bertrand Russell
My desire and wish is that the things I start with should be so obvious that you wonder why I spend my time stating them. This is what I aim at because 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 Russell
A hallucination is a fact, not an error; what is erroneous is a judgment based upon it. Bertrand Russell
It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. Bertrand Russell
There is no need to worry about mere size. We do not necessarily respect a fat man more than a thin man. Sir Isaac Newton was very much smaller than a hippopotamus, but we do not on that account value him less. Bertrand Russell
When you want to teach children to think, you begin by treating them seriously when they are little, giving them responsibilities, talking to them candidly, providing privacy and solitude for them, and making them readers and thinkers of significant thoughts from the beginning. That’s if you want to teach them to think. Bertrand Russell
Work is of two kinds first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth’s surface relative to other matter; second, telling other people to do so. Bertrand Russell
Those who have never known the deep intimacy and the intense companionship of happy mutual love have missed the best thing that life has to give. Bertrand Russell
War does not determine who is right only who is left. Bertrand Russell
Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd. Bertrand Russell
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. Bertrand Russell
We know very little, and yet it is astonishing that we know so much, and still more astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power. Bertrand Russell
I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. Bertrand Russell
No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues. Bertrand Russell
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. Bertrand Russell
It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this. Bertrand Russell
To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. Bertrand Russell
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, and is likely to interfere with happiness in all kinds of ways. Bertrand Russell
Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence, it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines. Bertrand Russell
The secret of happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible, horrible, horrible. Betrand Russell
Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery. Bertrand Russell
One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision. Bertrand Russell
Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd. Bertrand Russell
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widely spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible. Bertrand Russell
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
There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he dare not face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not rational, he becomes furious when they are disputed. Bertrand Russell
There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. Bertrand Russell
So far as I can remember there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence. Bertrand Russell
The degree of one’s emotions varies inversely with one’s knowledge of the facts. Bertrand Russell
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
A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfying, but a life in which adventure is allowed to take whatever form it will is sure to be short. Bertrand Russell
Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality. Bertrand Russell
Love is something far more than desire for sexual intercourse; it is the principal means of escape from the loneliness which afflicts most men and women throughout the greater part of their lives. Bertrand Russell
The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holders lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately. Bertrand Russell
Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country. Bertrand Russell
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
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
If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years. Bertrand Russell
I believe in using words, not fists. I believe in my outrage knowing people are living in boxes on the street. I believe in honesty. I believe in a good time. I believe in good food. I believe in sex. Bertrand Russell
I believe in using words, not fists. I believe in my outrage knowing people are living in boxes on the street. I believe in honesty. I believe in a good time. I believe in good food. I believe in sex. Bertrand Russell
Anything you’re good at contributes to happiness. Bertrand Russell
The secret of happiness is this: let your interest be as wide as possible and let your reactions to the things and persons who interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile. Bertrand Russell
Those who have never known the deep intimacy and the intense companionship of mutual love have missed the best thing that life has to give. Bertrand Russell
Everything is vague to a degree you do not realize till you have tried to make it precise. Bertrand Russell
Those who forget good and evil and seek only to know the facts are more likely to achieve good than those who view the world through the distorting medium of their own desires. Bertrand Russell
The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution. Bertrand Russell
The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. Bertrand Russell
When considering marriage one should ask oneself this question; will I be able to talk with this person into old age? Everything else is transitory, the most time is spent in conversation. Bertrand Russell
The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. Bertrand Russell
To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. Bertrand Russell
The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. Bertrand Russell
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
To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead. Bertrand Russell
What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite. Bertrand Russell
One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. Bertrand Russell
Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principles of liberty, which are embodied in one maxim The fortunate must not be restrained in the exercise of tyranny over the unfortunate. Bertrand Russell
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
If 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 Russell
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd. Bertrand Russell
If throughout your life you abstain from murder, theft, fornication, perjury, blasphemy, and disrespect toward your parents, church, and your king, you are conventionally held to deserve moral admiration even if you have never done a single kind, generous or useful action. This very inadequate notion of virtue is an outcome of taboo morality, and has done untold harm. Bertrand Russell
The megalomaniac differs from the narcissist by the fact that he wishes to be powerful rather than charming, and seeks to be feared rather than loved. To this type belong many lunatics and most of the great men of history. Bertrand Russell
Remember your humanity, and forget the rest. Bertrand Russell
To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Bertrand Russell
Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones. Bertrand Russell
If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have a paradise in a few years. Bertrand Russell
Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim. Bertrand Russell
The pleasure of work is open to anyone who can develop some specialised skill, provided that he can get satisfaction from the exercise of his skill without demanding universal applause. Bertrand Russell
Love can flourish only as long as it is free and spontaneous; it tends to be killed by the thought of duty. To say that it is your duty to love so and so is the surest way to cause you to hate him of her. Bertrand Russell
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. Bertrand Russell
Almost everything that distinguishes the modern world from earlier centuries is attibutable to science, which achieved its most spectacular triumphs in the seventeenth century. Bertrand Russell
Democracy is the process by which people choose the man who’ll get the blame. Bertrand Russell
Your writing is never as good as you hoped; but never as bad as you feared. Bertrand Russell
It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this. Bertrand Russell
A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy can live. Bertrand Russell
The secret of happiness is this let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile. Bertrand Russell
