Harold Pinter Quotes

People are irrational. What I want to do is let's take the irrational aspects out of it and let's just break this down. And you and I, let's go and see if we can't master this thing, a few steps at a time without giving up your day job, without having to give up your whole life.

There is absolutely no common sense, it is common non-sense.

My clinical psychologist wife of 40 years has always had a close intellectual influence on me. When I was beginning to talk openly in the economics profession about irrationality in decision-making, I received a lot of criticism. Ginny would support my views and remind me that a whole other profession - psychology - studies people's irrational sides.

If one devalues rationality, the world tends to fall apart.

In everything one thing is impossible: rationality.

Whenever man begins to doubt himself, he does something so stupid that he is reassured.

It's hard to find logic in things sometimes. That's why I can't analyze things too much, because it often doesn't make much sense.

Even the most analytical thinkers are predictably irrational; the really smart ones acknowledge and address their irrationalities.

I think it would be very foolish not to take the irrational seriously.

That crack-brained harlequin and semi-lunatic, George Francis Train! He is as destitute of principle as he is of sense, and is fast gravitating toward a lunatic asylum. He may be of use in drawing an audience; but so would a kangaroo, a gorilla, or a hippopotamus.

Politics is the food of sense exposed to the hunger of folly.

… a silly place

We've lost common sense.

I'm sure it's very obvious . . . how upset I am with incompetence and the lack of common sense in life. If I can sum up the reason . . . it's that these characteristics are not benign. They are responsible for much, if not most, of the great problems, misery, and injustice in the world.

Many of her thoughts were perfect syllogisms; unluckily they always remained thoughts. Only a few were irrational assumptions; but, unfortunately, they were the ones which most frequently grew into deeds

The human animal varies from class to class, culture to culture. In one way we are consistent: We are irrational.

I can measure the motion of bodies but I cannot measure human folly.

Man once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such persons, gullibility, which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason, and the mind becomes a wreck.

Reason can be fought with reason. How are you going to fight the unreasonable? The trouble with you, my dear, and with most people, is that you don’t have sufficient respect for the senseless. The senseless is the major factor in our lives. You have no chance if it is your enemy.

Reason is the shepherd trying to corral life's vast flock of wild irrationalities.

Still, obviously, one can't be sensible all the time.

But there are some situations of the human mind in which good sense has very little power.

People in this world are not often logical.

Once I was in a restaurant and I dropped my fork on the floor, and they gave me a new fork. So I pushed my girlfriend out of her chair.

It is impossible to get anywhere without sinning against reason.