The 45 best quotes by Bertrand Russell, the British philosopher.

These are the great famous quotes of the thinker and mathematician, a cultural reference of the twentieth century.

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) was a prestigious British mathematician, philosopher and writer who made important contributions to the world of Western thought.

He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, awarded not only for the depth of his texts but also for his humanistic spirit. He was, together with Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper, one of the main referents in the field of analytical philosophy. He also theorized about religions and their impact on human societies.

Famous quotes by Bertrand Russell

His pacifism and his fierce opposition to the First World War tell us of a global thinker who swam against the tide of the designs of the early twentieth century.

In order to know in depth the thought of this extraordinary thinker, we have proposed to compile Bertrand Russell's best quotes in today's article.

1. The history of the world is the sum of what could have been avoided.

Famous quote referring to the catastrophe of war.

2. I am opposed to all superstition, be it Muslim, Christian, Jewish or Buddhist.

A synthesis of the value he conferred on religions.

3. Scientists strive to make the impossible possible. Politicians strive to make the impossible possible.

A contradiction that can only be understood if we know the interests of the political elite.

4. Slander is always simple and plausible.

Insult is always (or almost always) free.

5. Being able to fill leisure in an intelligent way is the ultimate result of civilization.

To know how to amuse oneself is a symptom of vitality.

6. Whether science can survive for long depends on psychology; that is, it depends on what human beings desire.

Interesting reflection on human will.

7. How pleasant it would be in a world where no one was allowed to trade in the stock market unless he had passed an examination in economics and Greek poetry, and where politicians were obliged to have a solid knowledge of history and the modern novel!

A famous quote by Bertrand Russell with a certain aristocratic touch.

8. A great part of the difficulties through which the world is passing is due to the fact that the ignorant are completely sure and the intelligent are full of doubts.

A phrase about intelligence that warns us against false prophets.

9. The judicious man only thinks of his evils when it leads to something practical; all other moments are devoted to other things.

Rumination is a bad habit that we should banish from our minds, according to Russell.

10. Among all forms of caution, caution in love is possibly the most lethal to true happiness.

Love should be lived spontaneously.

11. The world needs open minds and hearts, and these cannot be derived from rigid systems, old or new.

Reflection on empathy and humanity.

12. Do not think it convenient to act by hiding evidence, for the evidence will eventually come to light.

Lies do not go a long way.

13. Be scrupulous in the truth, even if the truth is uncomfortable, because it is more uncomfortable when you try to hide it.

A famous quote very much along the lines of the previous one.

14. The conclusion is that we know very little and yet it is amazing how much we know. And even more amazing that so little knowledge can give so much power.

Science and its practical utility.

15. The wise use of leisure is a product of civilization and education.

Another thought on his view of leisure time.

16. Mathematics may be defined as that subject of which we never know what we say nor whether what we say is true.

A perfect summary of how Bertrand Russell perceived exact science.

17. Much of what passes for idealism is hatred or love of power in disguise.

Our drive for power can become a great enemy of happiness.

18. A generation that cannot stand boredom will be a generation of little value.

More excerpts from his theory of leisure.

19. The most enlightened among the Greeks held that slavery was justifiable so long as the masters were Greeks and the slaves barbarians, but the opposite was contrary to nature.

A nationalistic and identity-based principle that has been repeated throughout history.

20. The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn.

The power of choices and how they determine us.

21. The prudent man only thinks of his difficulties when it has some object. When not, he thinks of something else.

The worries have to serve us to activate the mind in search of solutions and answers.

22. The happy man is the one who lives objectively, the one who is free in his affections and has wide interests, the one who secures happiness by means of these interests and affections which, in turn, make him the object of interest and affection of many others.

On happiness and well-being, and the factors that lead to them.

23. Mathematics possesses not only truth, but a certain supreme beauty. A cold and austere beauty, like that of a sculpture.

The exact science, according to Bertrand Russell.

24. A symptom that you are approaching a nervous breakdown is believing that your work is tremendously important.

Relativizing the work aspect is essential to achieve inner peace.

25. When you encounter opposition, even if it comes from your spouse or your children, try to overcome it through reason and not authority, for a victory that depends on authority is unreal and illusory.

There is no room for self-deception: the only possible victory is victory with better arguments.

26. Show yourself scrupulous in the truth, even if the truth is uncomfortable, because it is more uncomfortable when you try to hide it.

A piece of advice to apply to our daily life.

27. It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents man from living nobly and freely.

Another phrase of Bertrand Russell in which he talks about the virtue of austerity.

28. The good life is a life inspired by love and guided by knowledge.

A great reflection to inspire us and apply to every moment.

29. I deliberately state that the Christian religion, as it is organized, has been and still is the main enemy of moral progress in the world.

In this quote he summarizes his assessment of the effect of religions on our society.

30. To lack some of the things one desires is an indispensable condition of happiness.

Thus, unfulfilled aspirations help us to know how to live and to tolerate frustration.

31. Educators, more than any other class of professionals, are the guardians of civilization.

Russell conferred great authority and importance to professors and teachers.

32. As far as I am concerned, I believe that the theoretical principles of communism are false, and I think that the practice of its maxims immeasurably increases human misery.

His criticism of communism.

33. A life among books possesses a very great calm and peace. While it is true that we are overwhelmed by a terrible hunger for something less tenuous, we are spared the remorse and the horror and the torture and the maddening poison of regret.

Reading was one of Russell's great passions; hence his therapeutic view of this activity.

34. Rousseau was mad, but influential; Hume was sane, but had no followers.

A curious take on two indispensable thinkers.

35. I observe that a large part of the human species does not believe in God and suffers no visible punishment for it. And if there were a God, it seems to me very improbable that he would have such an unhealthy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt his existence.

A reduction to absurdity that can make us distrust any dogma of faith.

To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already half dead.

Famous love phrase like few others.

37. Science is never completely right, but it is rarely completely wrong and is generally more likely to be right than non-scientific theories.

A conclusion based on statistics that shows us the fallible but reliable character of the scientific method.

38. Artists are, as a rule, less happy than men of science.

A risky assertion by the great British mathematician.

39. No one should believe himself to be perfect, nor worry too much about the fact of not being so.

On narcissism and the culture of beauty.

40. Why repeat old mistakes when there are so many new ones to make?

A great phrase by Bertrand Russell that reveals his vitalist and creative spirit.

41. Man can be scientifically manipulated.

Sad but true, and we have evidence of malpractice in science and medicine in recent times.

42. What is needed is not the will to believe, but the desire to find out, which is exactly the opposite.

There is a vaccine against dogmas of faith and religion: science and careful observation of our environment.

43. The pleasure of mental adventure is much more common in the young than in older men and women. It is rare in adult life because everything possible is done to kill it while education lasts.

Blessed childhood, full of terrain to be explored.

44. Humanity has a double morality: one that preaches and does not practice, and another that practices and does not preach.

The great contradiction from which our civilization suffers.

45. It is a waste of energy to be angry with a man who behaves badly, just as it is to be angry with a car that won't start.

There are things that can only be fixed if time and understanding are invested.