Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.

—Bertrand Russell

About Bertrand Russell

Portrait of Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970), was an English mathematician, philosopher, and social critic.

More quotations from Bertrand Russell

Make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life.

—Bertrand Russell

It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatsoever for supposing it is true.

—Bertrand Russell

truth logic proposition

The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy—I mean that if you are happy you will be good.

—Bertrand Russell

life happiness good

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

—Bertrand Russell

pride sleep unhappy

All movements go too far.

—Bertrand Russell

politics movement

More quotations tagged with “belief”

Low self-esteem is the belief that we are not good or worthy enough. It's a self-perception. You can be wealthy, beautiful, or well-liked by others and still don't feel good about yourself. The way other people perceive you doesn't affect your self-esteem. It's how you perceive yourself that matters.

—Yong Kang Chan in Empty Your Cup

beauty enough perception self-esteem belief wealth worth

Christians have given atheists less and less in which to disbelieve.

—Alasdair MacIntyre

belief Christianity atheism

Belief creates the actual fact.

—William James

I don't believe it. Prove it to me and I still won't believe it.

—Douglas Adams

Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.

—Ambrose Bierce

opinion belief absurdity

History

16 Sep 2013 Added