

“The method of "postulating" what we want has many advantages; they are the same as the advantages of theft over honest toil.”
Traced to Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy (1919).
More from Bertrand Russell
“There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.”
Bertrand Russell
In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays · 1935
verified“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”
Bertrand Russell
Mortals and Others · 1931
verified“The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.”
Bertrand Russell
The Philosophy of Logical Atomism · 1918
verified“To realise the unimportance of time is the gate of wisdom.”
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Our Knowledge of the External World · 1914
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Why Men Fight · 1917
verified“Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.”
Bertrand Russell
The Conquest of Happiness · 1930
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Mark Twain
Following the Equator · 1897
verified“The old believe everything; the middle-aged suspect everything; the young know everything.”
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Anecdote in St. Nicholas magazine, Vol. 5, No. 4 · 1878
likely“I have no idea. People who boast about their IQ are losers.”
Stephen Hawking
The Science of Second-Guessing, The New York Times · 2004
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