What we cannot think we cannot think, therefore we also cannot say what we cannot think. Bertrand Russell More Quotes by Bertrand Russell More Quotes From Bertrand Russell Change is one thing, progress is another. Bertrand Russell one-thingprogress Any philosophy worth taking seriously would have to be built upon a firm foundation of unyielding despair. Bertrand Russell foundationdespairphilosophy I feel as if one would only discover on one's death bed what one ought to have lived for Bertrand Russell oughtbedfeels The rules of logic are to mathematics what those of structure are to architecture. Bertrand Russell logicmathematicsarchitecture People are said to believe in God, or to disbelieve in Adam and Eve. But in such cases what is believed or disbelieved is that there is an entity answering a certain description. This, which can be believed or disbelieved is quite different from the actual entity (if any) which does answer the description. Thus the matter of belief is, in all cases, different in kind from the matter of sensation or presentation, and error is in no way analogous to hallucination. A hallucination is a fact, not an error; what is erroneous is a judgment based upon it. Bertrand Russell errorsbelievepeople The saviors of the world, society's last hope. Bertrand Russell saviorlastsworld Cynicism such as one finds very frequently among the most highly educated young men and women of the West, results from the combination of comfort and powerlessness. Bertrand Russell westcomfortmen Beggars do not envy millionaires, though of course they will envy other beggars who are more successful. Bertrand Russell millionaireenvysuccessful One of the troubles about vanity is that it grows with what it feeds on. The more you are talked about, the more you will wish to be talked about. Bertrand Russell vanitytroublewish Civilized life has altogether grown too tame, and, if it is to be stable, it must provide a harmless outlets for the impulses which our remote ancestors satisfied in hunting. Bertrand Russell outletsimpulsehunting Dora and I are now married, but just as happy as we were before. Bertrand Russell married Our beliefs are, however, often contrary to fact. Bertrand Russell contrarybelieffacts Another merit of home is that it preserves the diversity between individuals. If we were all alike, it might be convenient for the bureaucrat and the statistician, but it would be very dull, and would lead to a very unprogressive society. Bertrand Russell diversitywould-behome I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability. Bertrand Russell small-numbersprogressage Diversity is essential to happiness and in Utopia there is hardly any. This is a defect in all planned social systems. Bertrand Russell investingdiversityessentials Democracy has at least one merit, namely that a Member of Parliament cannot be stupider than his constituents, for the more stupid he is, the more stupid they were to elect him. Bertrand Russell democracies-havedemocracystupid I believe that the abolition of private ownership of land and capital is a necessary step toward any world in which the nations are to live at peace with one another. Bertrand Russell landbelieveworld Without effort and change, human life cannot remain good. It is not a finished Utopia that we ought to desire, but a world where imagination and hope are alive and active. Bertrand Russell effortimaginationdesire I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is mass psychology.... Its importance has been enormously increased by the growth of modern methods of propaganda. Of these the most influential is what is called 'education.' Religion plays a part, though a diminishing one; the press, the cinema, and the radio play an increasing part.... It may be hoped that in time anybody will be able to persuade anybody of anything if he can catch the patient young and is provided by the State with money and equipment. Bertrand Russell psychologyplaythinking When I say that children should be told about sex, I do not mean that they should be told only the bare physiological facts; they should be told whatever they wish to know. There should be no attempt to represent adults as more virtuous than they are, or sex as occurring only in marriage. There is no excuse for deceiving children. And when, as must happen in conventional families, they find that their parents have lied, they lose confidence in them, and feel justified in lying to them. Bertrand Russell lyingchildrensex
