Bertrand Russell Quotes

Knowledge is justified belief.

Science is the search for truth, that is the effort to understand the world: it involves the rejection of bias, of dogma, of revelation, but not the rejection of morality.

The only question which any wise man can ask himself, and which any honest man will ask himself, is whether a doctrine is true or false.

There is real confusion about what it means to be right and wrong - the difference between what spiritual beliefs are and what science is.

Science by itself has no moral dimension. But it does seek to establish truth. And upon this truth morality can be built.

We must never assume that which is incapable of proof.

Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.

Truth is the object of philosophy, but not always of philosophers.

I wish to propose for the reader's favorable consideration a doctrine which may, I fear, appear wildly paradoxical and subversive. The doctrine in question is this: that it is undesirable to believe in a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true.

A belief is not true because it is useful.

In my opinion, it helps enormously to know why something is true, rather than being told it is true, for why should you believe me? Never believe anything on the authority of a single person but seek confirmation — and reason is the best confirmation

The scientist insists on verification; the religious theologian does not; the philosopher sometimes does and sometimes does not

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

Facts matter, especially when they conflict with dogma and preconceived notions. Pretending otherwise has consequences.

Opinions upon moral questions are more often the expression of strongly felt expediency than of careful ethical reasoning

I ask you to believe nothing that you cannot verify for yourself.

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.

I think for those of us who think that our morality is something that needs to be in touch with our religious faith personally, then it's really important to explain that no one party has a monopoly on faith.

It’s critical that we know what we believe, no matter what we feel...that we know what is true, no matter what we see.

I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know. How can we tell the difference between what we would like to be true and what is actually true? The answer is science.

Religion will never show the way.

Morality must always precede and accompany religion, and yet religion is much more than morality.

Truth does not demand belief. Scientists do not join hands every Sunday, singing, 'Yes, gravity is real! I will have faith!'

The interest I have to believe a thing is no proof that such a thing exists.

The rules of morality are not the conclusion of our reason.