Bertrand Russell’s 5 Sentences To Reflect

We find a lot of wisdom in the phrases of Bertrand Russell. This British philosopher, writer and mathematician has written some of the most memorable lines of human thought. It was one of the most deserved Nobel Prizes, a distinction he won in 1950.

The most interesting thing about Bertrand Russell’s sentences is that they are almost all written in a colloquial tone. He never intended to surprise others with his knowledge. What he sought with his aphorisms was to communicate, to make the complex simple.

This fabulous thinker was also a pacifist convinced of freedom as a supreme value. His ideas, defended with passion and commitment, landed him in prison in the First World War. He was also repeatedly marginalized for not supporting power. As a tribute and to learn from him, we bring some of his best known phrases.

1. Scientists and politicians

Two recurring themes in Bertrand Russell’s sentences are science and superstition. Within this last field is politics, to which he dedicated several of his most critical and scathing phrases.

Comparing science and politics, the philosopher says the following: “Scientists strive to make the impossible possible, and politicians to make the impossible possible”. This statement shows his good humor, which obviously has that characteristic British tone.

2. One of Bertrand Russell’s phrases about doubt

This is one of Bertrand Russell’s phrases that is often quoted to this day. He says, “Many of the difficulties the world is going through are due to the fact that the ignorant are completely secure and the intelligent are full of doubts.”

One of the characteristics of the ignorant is the tone of certainty with which they speak. Anyone who has traveled the world of science or culture knows that it is difficult to talk about absolute truths. The truth is always under construction and, therefore, the doubt is always relevant.

3. Caution in love

In Bertrand Russell, we find a philosopher concerned with the ethical question. He was firmly opposed to idealism and romantic values, as he considered them inconvenient for humans. He argued that, at bottom, they were a form of authoritarianism.

That’s why, when Russell talks about love, he does it from a raw perspective, but without giving up humor. This phrase very well reflects the attitude he promotes with his thought: “Among all forms of caution, prudence in love is possibly the most lethal to true happiness.”

4. Idleness in the phrases of Bertrand Russell

One of the themes Bertrand Russell reflected on was idleness. That was really brave, since in his time idleness and vice seemed synonymous. However, the texts Russell devoted to this subject are truly masterful. He managed to understand and convey the essentials of what free time means.

On this issue, he highlights: “The wise use of leisure is a product of civilization and education”. For Russell, free time was infinitely valuable time that gave the opportunity to exercise the greatest human quality: creativity. For him, moments of leisure test the intelligence of a person and, by extension, of a society.

5. Missing is better than having

This is one of those quotes by Bertrand Russell that reveal the depth of his reflections. It says the following: “The lack of any of the things that one desires is an indispensable condition for happiness”. It is very interesting that he associates happiness with lack, something that is also worked on in psychology and in Lacanian psychoanalysis.

Lack of something leads to desire. And desire is itself a source of motivation for action. When you get what you want, enthusiasm loses its intensity and a kind of “fullness” arises that often depresses you.

There are countless phrases by Bertrand Russell that offer us those brushstrokes of wisdom that nourish us so much. It could not be different with someone who is considered by many to be the most influential philosopher on the 20th century English scene.