Bertrand Russell

"The human heart as a rule is happiest when it is treating somebody else's heart with a certain generous consideration."

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

"Conventionality is not morality; self-righteousness is not religion."

"The method of science depends upon the possibility of distinguishing the true from the false."

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

"Passive acceptance of evil is not innocence; it is complicity."

"The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nonetheless an intellectual vice."

"The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability."

"It is preposterous to assume that because a man is born in England, his opinions must align with his neighbors."

"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion; every currently accepted opinion was once considered eccentric."

"Beware of the man who does not play."

"Your life is the product of the choices you make; make them wisely."

"Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security."

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

"Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure."

"The fundamental principle of science is doubt."

"Religion may in most of its forms be discarded without loss to morality."

"The value of a scientific principle lies not in its truth, but in its utility."

"Instinct is a marvelous thing. It can tell you that a human being is corrupt, or it can tell you that he is filled with goodness."

"When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had proof."

"The tyrant grinds down his slaves and they don't turn against him, they love him."

"Consciousness is a very recent development in nature, and the process of creation is not yet complete."

"The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose."

"Religion and science will always conflict so long as religious people insist on making unverifiable claims."

"The demand for certainty is one natural to man, but an intellectual vice nonetheless."

"We are not born all at once, but by bits. The writer is all three: fœtus, child, and man."

"So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence."

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those branded as outsiders."

"The mark of a civilized man is his willingness to reexamine his most deeply held beliefs."

"Many people prefer to believe their leaders are just and fair even in the face of evidence to the contrary."