Bertrand Russell

British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do.

In all things it is a good idea to hang a question mark now and then on the things we have taken for granted.

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

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

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education.

Sin is geographical.

Few people can be happy unless they hate some other person, nation, or creed.

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

Most people would sooner die than think; in fact they do so.

All movements go too far.

Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.

Obscenity is what happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate.

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

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

The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists - that is why they invented hell.

Even in civilized mankind faint traces of monogamous instincts can be perceived.

Order, unity and continuity are human inventions just as truly as catalogues and encyclopedias.

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