The demand for certainty is one that is natural to man but is nevertheless an intellectual vice.
BERTRAND RUSSELLOne of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.
More Bertrand Russell Quotes
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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.
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None of our beliefs are quite true; all have at least a penumbra of vagueness and error.
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The secret of happiness is very simple: 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 -
Love is wise, hatred is foolish.
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Whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities.
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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 -
So far as I can remember there is not one word in the gospels in praise of intelligence.
BERTRAND RUSSELL -
To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present, very few people have reached this level.
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Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.
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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.
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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.
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The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
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A man is rational in proportion as his intelligence informs and controls his desires.
BERTRAND RUSSELL -
To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.
BERTRAND RUSSELL -
Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.
BERTRAND RUSSELL