424 quotes
The principal source of the harm done by the State is the fact that power is its chief end.
Principles of Social Reconstruction (1917)
The fundamental defect of fathers, in our competitive society, is that they want their children to be a credit to them.
Sceptical Essays (1928)
If you're certain, you're certainly wrong, because nothing deserves certainty.
Bertrand Russell Speaks His Mind (1960)
In art [the Chinese] aim at being exquisite, and in life at being reasonable.
The Problem of China (1922)
The method of "postulating" what we want has many advantages; they are the same as the advantages of theft over honest toil.
Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy (1919)
A world without delight and without affection is a world destitute of value.
The Scientific Outlook (1931)
Obscenity is whatever happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate.
Boredom is therefore a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it.
Reason is a harmonising, controlling force rather than a creative one.
Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays (1918)
Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.
Unpopular Essays (1950)
No rules, however wise, are a substitute for affection and tact.
In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays (1935)
The atomists, unlike Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, sought to explain the world without introducing the notion of purpose or final cause.
A History of Western Philosophy (1945)
I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability.
In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays (1935)
Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear.
Why I Am Not a Christian (1927)
Fanaticism is the danger of the world, and always has been, and has done untold harm. I might almost say that I was fanatical against fanaticism.
The Future of Science (1959)
All human activity is prompted by desire.
What Desires Are Politically Important? (1950)
Among human beings, the subjection of women is much more complete at a certain level of civilization than it is among savages. And the subjection is always reinforced by morality.
Power: A New Social Analysis (1938)
It is a curious fact that the more democratic a country becomes, the less respect it has for its rulers. Aristocracies and foreign conquerors may be hated but they are not despised.
Mortals and Others: American Essays 1931-35 (1975)
I do not think it possible to get anywhere if we start from scepticism. We must start from a broad acceptance of whatever seems to be knowledge and is not rejected for some specific reason.
My Philosophical Development (1959)
What is wanted is not the will-to-believe, but the wish to find out, which is its exact opposite.
Free Thought and Official Propaganda (1922)