Bertrand Russell Quotes

The world today is divided into the free and the enslaved.

To some extent I liken slavery to death.

A slave is one who waits for someone to come and free him.

Slavery and freedom cannot exist together.

Corrupted freemen are the worst of slaves.

Desire, ignorance, and inequality—this is the trinity of bondage.

To think that man, thou just and loving God! Should stand before thee with a tyrant's rod, O'er creatures like himself, with souls from Thee, Yet dare to boast of perfect liberty! Away! away! I'd rather hold my neck By doubtful tenure from a Sultan's beck, In climes where liberty has scarce been nam'd, Nor any right but that of ruling claim'd, Than thus to live where boasted Freedom waves Her fustian flag in mockery over slaves!

The people of a nation are enslaved when, together, they are helpless to institute effective change, when the people serve the government more than the government serves them.

A man is none the less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years.

Slavery is the rule. Freedom the exception.

There is no freedom in peaceful slavery.

A slave's soul has no worth, my brothers; it lacks strength to tread on this great earth with gallantry and freedom. I pity the poor slaves, they're nought but airy mist, a light breeze scatters them, a fragrance knocks them down; it's only just they crawl on the earth on hands and knees. Today I'll write a hymn to God and pray for this great grace.

The denial of our duty to act in this case is a denial of our right to act; and if we have no right to act, then may we well be termed the white slaves of the North, for like our brethren in bonds, we must seal our lips in silence and despair.

Any unarmed people are slaves, or are subject to slavery at any given moment.

It has always been a great wrong that these men and their families should be held in bondage.

Under the big political umbrella, a man is just like a leaf in the ocean, with no control of his destiny and does not have any choice.

When one person is enslaved, we're all enslaved.

Why hast thou made me born in this country, The inhabitant of which is satisfied with being a slave?

Some people are by nature slaves and will always be so.

Man is everywhere still in chains.

Man is born free, yet he is everywhere in chains.

A Sudra [lowest caste untouchable], though emancipated by his master, is not released from servitude; since that is innate in him, who can set him free from it?

The dearest ambition of a slave is not liberty, but to have a slave of his own.

Every one of us should be ashamed to be free while his brother is a slave.

Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you prepare your own limbs to wear them.