Bertrand Russell

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.

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

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

Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so.

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.

The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.

I realize that advice is worth what it costs – that is, nothing.

I cannot discover that anyone knows enough to say what is and what is definitely not possible.

We live in an age when pizza gets to your home before the police.

I think I always feel like if everything went to shit, I would just teach improv at a theatre.

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing, but what you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.

The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well.

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.

The unexamined life is not worth living.

You’re never given more pain than you can handle. You never, ever get more than you can take.

If I only had a little humility, I’d be perfect.

The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.

This ain’t my first rodeo son!

Thought is the original source of all wealth, all success, all material gain, all great discoveries and inventions, and all achievement.

Treat everyone as if they were a guest in your own house, because in reality, they are a guest in your own world.

You get what you ask for in this life. If you ask for nothing, you get nothing.