The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.

Quote by Bertrand Russell

Topics: Bertrand Russell Quotes

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth -- more than ruin --...

Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth -- more than ruin --...

Awareness of universals is called conceiving, and a universal of which we are aware is...

Awareness of universals is called conceiving, and a universal of which we are aware is...

Obscenity is whatever happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate.

Obscenity is whatever happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate.

I observe that a very large portion of the human race does not believe in...

I observe that a very large portion of the human race does not believe in...

I have sought love because in the union of love I have seen, in a...

I have sought love because in the union of love I have seen, in a...

Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation...

Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation...

Men who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact.

Men who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact.

To understand a name you must be acquainted with the particular of which it is...

To understand a name you must be acquainted with the particular of which it is...

Dread of disaster makes everybody act in the very way that increases the disaster.

Dread of disaster makes everybody act in the very way that increases the disaster.

Before World War I one of the objections commonly urged against votes for women was...

Before World War I one of the objections commonly urged against votes for women was...

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live...

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live...

In the revolt against idealism, the ambiguities of the word experience have been perceived, with...

In the revolt against idealism, the ambiguities of the word experience have been perceived, with...

Whenever one finds oneself inclined to bitterness, it is a sign of emotional failure.

Whenever one finds oneself inclined to bitterness, it is a sign of emotional failure.

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...

Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you...

Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you...

On the one hand, philosophy is to keep us thinking about things that we may...

On the one hand, philosophy is to keep us thinking about things that we may...

The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an...

The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an...

Every philosophical problem, when it is subjected to the necessary analysis and justification, is found...

Every philosophical problem, when it is subjected to the necessary analysis and justification, is found...

I like mathematics because it is not human and has nothing particular to do with...

I like mathematics because it is not human and has nothing particular to do with...