Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.

—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 and philosopher. A founder of analytic philosophy, he was a leading philosopher of the 20th century who produced pioneering work in logic, set theory, and philosophy of language. Russell popularised philosophy to...

More quotations from Bertrand Russell

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

—Bertrand Russell

I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.

—Bertrand Russell

Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.

—Bertrand Russell

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.

—Bertrand Russell

Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country.

—Bertrand Russell

More quotations tagged with “fear”

When the mind has once begun to yield to the weakness of superstition, trifles impress it with the force of conviction.

—Ann Radcliffe

When one can hear people moving, one does not so much mind, about one's fears.

—Ann Radcliffe

Above all things, never be afraid. The enemy who forces you to retreat is himself afraid of you at that very moment.

—André Maurois

I'm afraid I'm being an awful nuisance.

—Edith Sitwell

Ask a deeply religious Christian if he'd rather live next to a bearded Muslim that may or may not be plotting a terror attack, or an atheist that may or may not show him how to set up a wireless network in his house. On the scale of prejudice, atheists don't seem so bad lately.

fear prejudice Christianity atheism

History

11 Jul 2015 Added