Bertrand Russell Quotes & Sayings (Page 5)

“Religions, which condemn the pleasures of sense, drive men to seek the pleasures of power. Throughout history power has been the vice of the ascetic.”

“With the introduction of agriculture mankind entered upon a long period of meanness, misery, and madness, from which they are only now being freed by the beneficent operation of the machine.”

“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.”

“The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really, if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself.”

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

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

“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.”

“Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation with oneself.”

“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.”

“Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education.”