--- title: "4 Cynical Quotes By Bertrand Russell" description: "4 Cynical quotes by Bertrand Russell. Plus more from Bertrand Russell and more Cynical sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/bertrand-russell-69_advice_organic-life-we-are-told-has-developed-g_515970.jpg" --- > [Organic life, we are told, has developed gradually from the protozoon to the philosopher, and this development, we are assured, is indubitably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/organic-life-we-are-told-has-developed-gradually-from-the-protozoon/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/bertrand-russell-69_advice_organic-life-we-are-told-has-developed-g_515970.jpg) > [An Honest politician will not be tolerated by a democracy unless he is very stupid ... because only a very stupid man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/an-honest-politician-will-not-be-tolerated-by-a-democracy-unless-he/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/bertrand-russell-69_cynical_an-honest-politician-will-not-be-tolerat_990367.jpg) > [“The causes of any widespread scepticism are likely to be sociological rather than intellectual. The main cause is always comfort without power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-causes-of-any-widespread-scepticism-are-likely-to-be-sociological/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/bertrand-russell-69_faith_the-causes-of-any-widespread-scepticism_2027652.jpg) > [“One of the causes of unhappiness among intellectuals in the present day is that so many of them, especially those whose skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-of-the-causes-of-unhappiness-among-intellectuals-in-the-present/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/519/bertrand-russell-69_cynical_one-of-the-causes-of-unhappiness-among-i_2733218.jpg) ## Other authors on Cynical - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b010/author-h-l-mencken-39886.jpg) H. L. Mencken 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/h-l-mencken/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b005/author-barack-obama-16275.jpg) Barack Obama 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/barack-obama/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b009/author-erica-jong-33619.jpg) Erica Jong 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/erica-jong/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b016/author-lily-tomlin-60406.jpg) Lily Tomlin 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/lily-tomlin/) ## More by Bertrand Russell > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All movements go too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/all-movements-go-too-far/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. Amid such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/such-in-outline-but-even-more-purposeless-more-void-of-meaning-is-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/aristotle-maintained-that-women-have-fewer-teeth-than-men-although-he/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-an-opinion-contrary-to-your-own-makes-you-angry-that-is-a-sign/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-cannot-escape-from-the-conclusion-that-the-great-ages-of-progress/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I think it would be just to say the most essential characteristic of mind is memory, using this word in its broadest sense to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-think-it-would-be-just-to-say-the-most-essential-characteristic-of/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The newspapers at one time said that I was dead but after carefully examining the evidence I came to the conclusion that this statement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-newspapers-at-one-time-said-that-i-was-dead-but-after-carefully/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/persecution-is-used-in-theology-not-in-arithmetic-because-in/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/many-orthodox-people-speak-as-though-it-were-the-business-of-sceptics/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [There is no greater reason for children to honour parents than for parents to honour children except, that while the children are young, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-is-no-greater-reason-for-children-to-honour-parents-than-for/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/bertrand-russell/#itemlist", "name": "4 Cynical Quotes By Bertrand Russell", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Organic life, we are told, has developed gradually from the protozoon to the philosopher, and this development, we are assured, is indubitably an advance. 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The main cause is always comfort without power. The holders of power are not cynical, since they are able to enforce their ideals. 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Such work cannot bring any real satisfaction, and in the course of reconciling himself to the doing of it, a man has to make himself so cynical that he can no longer derive whole-hearted satisfaction from anything whatever. I cannot condemn men who undertake work of this sort, since starvation is too serious an alternative, but I think that where it is possible to do work that is satisfactory to man’s constructive impulses without entirely starving, he will be well advised from the point of view of his own happiness if he chooses it in preference to work much more highly paid but not seeming to him worth doing on its own account. Without self-respect genuine happiness is scarcely possible. 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