Bertrand Russell Quotes

Oppression is the essence of power.

The good government of one man is the bad government of another

Next to enjoying ourselves, the next greatest pleasure consists in preventing others from enjoying themselves, or, more generally, in the acquisition of power.

Why do you all push us around?

Liberty is so much latitude as the powerful choose to accord to the weak.

Oppression is but another name for irresponsible power, if history is to be trusted.

It is one thing to obey a government order. It is quite another to succumb to resurrected irrational fears, especially of 'the other.'

If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual.

I think people really need to think what it's like to have all of society arrayed against you.

Ageism is as odious as racism and sexism.

What we really need to be understanding is that all of these things matter and they all stem from the fact that certain people live with power and authority and they want to maintain it.

One of the main ways that leadership stays in power is by, in various ways, convincing people that they should just let those who are in government govern: 'Trust us. Trust me. Just let us take care of things. Stay out of it.' Your opinions don't really matter. You are isolated. You are insignificant.

Anything can be used for or against the welfare of women - or the welfare of anyone - depending on who controls it.

And this is the Anarchistic definition of the State: the embodiment of the principle of invasion in an individual, or a band of individuals, assuming to act as representatives or masters of the entire people within a given area.

Any deviation is looked upon as a perversion, is feared, and is usually a target of hatred and prejudice.

There will always be those people who are just backward and ignorant. There will always be those people. They need somebody to feel superior to.

Political correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred.

The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who hold power, in power.

Oppression is something that one group of people commits against another group specifically because of a threatening characteristic shared by the latter group.

There's still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. It's regrettable, it's stupid, it's heartless, and it's immoral, but there it is.

People in power need to control others in order to maintain power. One of the ways to do that is to take that which is threatening and demonize it.

It's incredibly disturbing when a country, particularly your own country, uses discrimination as a basis for an investigation.

Any time I saw people treated unfairly because of race, creed, whatever - it struck a nerve.

Government exists to protect the interests of the powerful from the will of the people.

Many people here are completely unsuitable for shaping public opinion. I am going to weed them out.