Bertrand Russell? George Orwell? Arthur Koestler? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Humanity faces many existential dangers: hydrogen bombs, bioweapons, asteroid impacts, nanoplagues, and artificial intelligence. Yet, most of these dangers were created by humankind, and all can be ameliorated by wise decisions. The British philosopher Bertrand Russell once said something like: The question is how …
Tag Archives: Bertrand Russell
Quote Origin: This World Is the Lunatic Asylum of the Universe
Mark Twain? Thomas Jefferson? Voltaire? Edward Young? George Bernard Shaw? Laird MacKenzie? Elsie McCormick? Bertrand Russell? Kurt Vonnegut? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Several thinkers have offered an anguished explanation for the dangerously disordered state of the world. Here are four versions: This notion has been credited to Mark Twain, Voltaire, Thomas Jefferson, George …
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Quote Origin: Most People Would Die Sooner Than Think—In Fact, They Do So
Bertrand Russell? Sheldon? John Ruskin? Woods Hutchinson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Cantankerous individuals who believe they are surrounded by an ignorant and unthinking public sometimes proclaim: This statement has been enhanced with a funny addition that reinvigorates the cliché. Here are two versions: The influential British intellectual Bertrand Russell has received credit for this …
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Quote Origin: Language Serves Not Only to Express Thoughts, but to Make Possible Thoughts Which Could Not Exist Without It
Bertrand Russell? Neil Postman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The relationship between language and thought is complex. The famous philosopher Bertrand Russell held the provocative belief that some thoughts could not exist without language. I believe I read this assertion in a book Russell wrote, but I have not been able to relocate the apposite …
Quote Origin: I Would Never Die for My Beliefs Because I Might Be Wrong
Bertrand Russell? Ayn Rand? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently, while reading my Facebook feed I saw a graphic from a major media organization (The Economist) that displayed a picture of the influential philosopher Bertrand Russell coupled with the following quotation: I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. Are these …
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Quote Origin: War Does Not Determine Who Is Right — Only Who Is Left
Bertrand Russell? Frank P. Hobgood? Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre? Reader’s Digest? Montreal Star? Andrew Carnegie? Winston Churchill? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A piquant slogan has been used by pacifists and peace activists for decades. Here are two variants: The first saying is often attributed to the philosopher and social thinker Bertrand Russell, but I …
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Quote Origin: The Best Lack All Conviction While the Worst Are Full of Passionate Intensity
William Butler Yeats? Bertrand Russell? Charles Bukowski? Question for Quote Investigator: Have you ever been absolutely certain about a fact and later determined that you were completely wrong? If you learn from that experience you become less arrogant and more empathetic. I wish more people would achieve this form of personal growth. Here are three …
Quote Origin: The Chains of Habit Are Too Light To Be Felt Until They Are Too Heavy To Be Broken
Warren Buffett? Samuel Johnson? Maria Edgeworth? Bertrand Russell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I recall seeing a lecture by the famed investor Warren Buffett during which he cautioned his audience to avoid falling into self-destructive behavior patterns. He used this eloquent analysis: The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are …
Quote Origin: It Is the Mark of a Truly Intelligent Person To Be Moved By Statistics
George Bernard Shaw? Bertrand Russell? Oscar Wilde? John H. Gibbons? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following quotation is used by speakers who are planning to project a series of slides that are filled with statistics. The words are credited to the famous dramatist and intellectual George Bernard Shaw. Here are two versions: The sign …
Quote Origin: The Universe Is Full of Magical Things Patiently Waiting for Our Wits to Grow Sharper
Bertrand Russell? William Butler Yeats? Eden Phillpotts? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: I adore the following quotation which is attributed to the philosopher Bertrand Russell: The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. But recently I saw a different version in which two words had been changed: The …