RELIGION: A set of beliefs held as dogmas, dominating the conduct of life, going beyond or contrary to evidence, and inculcated by… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
As soon as it is held that any belief, no matter what, is important for some other reason than that it is… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Cruel men believe in a cruel god and use their belief to excuse their cruelty. Only kindly men believe in a kindly… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly I think, because it is so satisfying to our sadistic… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
The fact that a belief has a good moral effect upon a man is no evidence whatsoever in favor of its truth. — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
More and more people are becoming unable to accept traditional [religious] beliefs. If they think that, apart from these beliefs, there is… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
William James used to preach the "will-to-believe." For my part, I should wish to preach the "will-to-doubt." None of our beliefs are… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Diet, injections, and injunctions will combine, from a very early age, to produce the sort of character and the sort of beliefs… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
My own belief is that in most ages and in most places obscure psychological forces led men to adopt systems involving quite… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
“William James used to preach the 'will to believe.' For my part, I should wish to preach the 'will to doubt' ...… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
But if thought is to become the possession of many, not the privilege of the few, we must have done with fear.… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Dogma demands authority, rather than intelligent thought, as the source of opinion; it requires persecution of heretics and hostility to unbelievers; it… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
You find this curious fact, that the more intense has been the religion of any period and more profound has been the… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
...I am afraid that education is conceived more in terms of indoctrination by most school officials than in terms of enlightenment. My… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Science tells us what we can know but what we can know is little and if we forget how much we cannot… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Man has existed for about a million years. He has possessed writing for about 6,000 years, agriculture somewhat longer, but perhaps not… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Americans and Englishmen, when they become acquainted with the Balkans, feel an astonished contempt when they study the mutual enmities of Bulgarians… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
I mean by intellectual integrity the habit of deciding vexed questions in accordance with the evidence, or of leaving them undecided where… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
The opposition of instinct and reason is mainly illusory. Instinct, intuition, or insight is what first leads to the beliefs which subsequent… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
The scientific attitude of mind involves a sweeping away of all other desires in the interests of the desire to know-it involves… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; his origin, his growth, his hopes… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important, and that to take a… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share Image
If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.' — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. Amid such a world,… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict. — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability. — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
I think it would be just to say the most essential characteristic of mind is memory, using this word in its broadest sense to… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
The newspapers at one time said that I was dead but after carefully examining the evidence I came to the conclusion that this statement… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
“Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion.” — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
There is no greater reason for children to honour parents than for parents to honour children except, that while the children are young, the… — Bertrand Russell Copy Share
![“More and more people are becoming unable to accept traditional [religious] beliefs. If they think that, apart from these beliefs, there is no reason for kindly behaviour, the results may be needlessly unfortunate. That is why it is important to show that no supernatural reasons are needed to make…” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/e97/bertrand-russell-69_accepting_more-and-more-people-are-becoming-unable_1214762.jpg)
