No great achievement is possible without persistent work. Bertrand Russell More Quotes by Bertrand Russell More Quotes From Bertrand Russell Mankind is divided into two classes: those who, being artificial, praise nature, and those who, being natural, praise art. Bertrand Russell class two art In a just world, there would be no possibility of 'charity'. Bertrand Russell charity would-be world The State is a collection of officials, different for difference purposes, drawing comfortable incomes so long as the status quo is preserved. The only alteration they are likely to desire in the status quo is an increase of bureaucracy and the power of bureaucrats. Bertrand Russell drawing differences long The key to happiness is accepting one unpleasant reality every day. Bertrand Russell accepting keys reality 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is a paradox; as is a paradox why the number 1 is not prime if it has no other divisors besides himself. Bertrand Russell prime paradox numbers In the visible world, the Milky Way is a tiny fragment; within this fragment, the solar system is an infinitesimal speck, and of this speck our planet is a microscopic dot. On this dot, tiny lumps of impure carbon and water, of complicated structure, with somewhat unusual physical and chemical properties, crawl about for a few years, until they are dissolved again into the elements of which they are compounded. Bertrand Russell elements water years Human life, its growth, its hopes, fears, loves, et cetera, are the result of accidents Bertrand Russell fear-of-love growth humanity No matter how eloquently a dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his parents were poor, but honest. Bertrand Russell parent dog animal A marriage is likely to be called happy if neither party ever expected to get much happiness out of it. Bertrand Russell expected marriage party Owing to the identification of religion with virtue, together with the fact that the most religious men are not the most intelligent, a religious education gives courage to the stupid to resist the authority of educated men, as has happened, for example, where the teaching of evolution has been made illegal. So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence; and in this respect ministers of religion follow gospel authority more closely than in some others. Bertrand Russell teaching stupid religious A habit of finding pleasure in thought rather than action is a safeguard against unwisdom and excessive love of power, a means of preserving serenity in misfortune and peace of mind among worries. A life confined to what is personal is likely, sooner or later, to become unbearably painful; it is only by windows into a larger and less fretful cosmos that the more tragic parts of life become endurable. Bertrand Russell serenity worry mean A good man will never suspect his friends of shady actions: this is part of his goodness. A good man will never be suspected by the public of using his goodness to screen villains: this is part of his utility Bertrand Russell good-man action men ...impregnation will be regarded in an entirely different manner, more in the light of a surgical operation, so that it will be thought not ladylike to have it performed in the natural manner. Bertrand Russell eugenics different light If one lived for ever the joys of life would inevitably in the end lose their savour. As it is, they remain perennially fresh. Bertrand Russell savour ends joy Boys and girls should be taught respect for each other's liberty... and that jealousy and possessiveness kill love. Bertrand Russell girl boys life You find this curious fact, that the more intense has been the religion of any period and more profound has been the dogmatic belief, the greater has been the cruelty and the worse has been the state of affairs. In the so called age of faith, when men really did believe the Christian religion in all its completeness, there was the Inquisition, with its tortures; there were millions of unfortunate women burnt as witches; and there was every kind of cruelty practised upon all sorts of people in the name of religion. Bertrand Russell christian men believe Many a marriage hardly differs from prostitution, except being harder to escape from. Bertrand Russell prostitution harder marriage Most political leaders acquire their position by causing large numbers of people to believe that these leaders are actuated by altruistic desires Bertrand Russell numbers believe people More and more people are becoming unable to accept traditional [religious] beliefs. If they think that, apart from these beliefs, there is no reason for kindly behaviour, the results may be needlessly unfortunate. That is why it is important to show that no supernatural reasons are needed to make [people] kind and to prove that only through kindness can the human race achieve happiness. Bertrand Russell philosophical religious kindness No opinion has ever been too errant to become a creed. Bertrand Russell opinion god religion
