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 on great
The theoretical understanding of the world, which is the aim of philosophy, is not a matter of great practical importance to animals, or to savages, or even to most civilised men. Bertrand Russell on great
Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, Thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free. Bertrand Russell on great
To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. Bertrand Russell on happiness
Anything you're good at contributes to happiness. Bertrand Russell on happiness
Man needs, for his happiness, not only the enjoyment of this or that, but hope and enterprise and change. Bertrand Russell on happiness
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 on happiness
The secret to happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible. Bertrand Russell on happiness
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 on happiness
Contempt for happiness is usually contempt for other people's happiness, and is an elegant disguise for hatred of the human race. Bertrand Russell on happiness
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 on happiness
If all our happiness is bound up entirely in our personal circumstances it is difficult not to demand of life more than it has to give. Bertrand Russell on happiness
Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness. Bertrand Russell on happiness
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 on history
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. Bertrand Russell on history
Man needs, for his happiness, not only the enjoyment of this or that, but hope and enterprise and change. Bertrand Russell on hope
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 on intelligence
We are faced with the paradoxical fact that education has become one of the chief obstacles to intelligence and freedom of thought. Bertrand Russell on intelligence
So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence. Bertrand Russell on intelligence
There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. Bertrand Russell on knowledge