Quotable quotes of intellience and introspect

A random person introduced herself to me on Hi5 recently. Small chatter led to a suggestion to check out the quotes of Bertrand Russel. Talk about one cool cat! Well I'm guessing he was a bit of a nerd if not a reclusive snob... but he definitey had his thoughts to keep himself busy. Just thought I would make an entry this evening with a few of my favourites from this handsome young fellas intellectual meanderings!

If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.

Passive acceptance of the teacher's wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes man to seek and to accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position.

Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.

The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good.

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

What the world needs is not dogma but an attitude of scientific inquiry combined with a belief that the torture of millions is not desirable, whether inflicted by Stalin or by a Deity imagined in the likeness of the believer.

Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.

One should as a rule respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny, and is likely to interfere with happiness in all kinds of ways.

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.