Bertrand Russell

Real life is, to most men, a long second-best, a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible but the read more

Real life is, to most men, a long second-best, a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible but the world of pure reason knows no compromise, no practical limitations, no barrier to the creative activity.

I've made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no read more

I've made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk with my gardener, I'm convinced of the opposite.

Contempt for happiness is usually contempt for other people's happiness, and is an elegant disguise for hatred of the human read more

Contempt for happiness is usually contempt for other people's happiness, and is an elegant disguise for hatred of the human race

The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. Persecution is read more

The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic.

Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.

Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.