One should 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

Quote by Bertrand Russell

Topics: Opinions Quotes

His wit and irony - particularly when he uses them to condemn superstition - are...

His wit and irony - particularly when he uses them to condemn superstition - are...

My first advice on how not to grow old would be to choose you ancestors...

My first advice on how not to grow old would be to choose you ancestors...

Man is a feeble creature, to whom only submission and worship are besoming. Pride is...

Man is a feeble creature, to whom only submission and worship are besoming. Pride is...

In any closet, you can find it, if it is too small, or out of...

In any closet, you can find it, if it is too small, or out of...

Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.

Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.

Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of...

Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of...

The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly I think, because...

The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly I think, because...

Religions that teach brotherly love have been used as an excuse for persecution, and our...

Religions that teach brotherly love have been used as an excuse for persecution, and our...

The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and...

The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and...

We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side; one which we preach...

We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side; one which we preach...

The best practical advice I can give to the present generation is to practice the...

The best practical advice I can give to the present generation is to practice the...

What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out,...

What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out,...

I believe in using words, not fists... I believe in my outrage knowing people are...

I believe in using words, not fists... I believe in my outrage knowing people are...

Almost everything that distinguishes the modern world from earlier centuries is attributable to science, which...

Almost everything that distinguishes the modern world from earlier centuries is attributable to science, which...

Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it...

Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it...

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

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

There is little of the true philosophic spirit in Aquinas. He does not, like the...

There is little of the true philosophic spirit in Aquinas. He does not, like the...

If any philosopher had been asked for a definition of infinity, he might have produced...

If any philosopher had been asked for a definition of infinity, he might have produced...

Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don't know.

Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don't know.

I believe in using words, not fists. I believe in my outrage knowing people are...

I believe in using words, not fists. I believe in my outrage knowing people are...