“Man needs, for his happiness, not only the enjoyment of this or that, but hope and enterprise and change.”
Change“In America everybody is of the opinion that he has no social superiors, since all men are equal, but he does not admit that he has no social inferiors, for, from the time of Jefferson onward, the doctrine that all men are equal applies only upwards, not downwards.”
Equality“It is possible that mankind is on the threshold of a golden age but, if so, it will be necessary first to slay the dragon that guards the door, and this dragon is religion.”
Age“Religions, which condemn the pleasures of sense, drive men to seek the pleasures of power. Throughout history power has been the vice of the ascetic.”
History“I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.”
Funny“Dogmatism and skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.”
Knowledge“Freedom in general may be defined as the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires.”
Freedom“Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.”
Knowledge“Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted.”
Men“Those who forget good and evil and seek only to know the facts are more likely to achieve good than those who view the world through the distorting medium of their own desires.”
Good“To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.”
Fear“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
Fear“The megalomaniac differs from the narcissist by the fact that he wishes to be powerful rather than charming, and seeks to be feared rather than loved. To this type belong many lunatics and most of the great men of history.”
Great“The degree of one's emotions varies inversely with one's knowledge of the facts.”
Knowledge“None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear.”
Fear“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.”
Intelligence“Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relative to other matter second, telling other people to do so.”
Work“Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in prostitution.”
Marriage“One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.”
Respect“I like mathematics because it is not human and has nothing particular to do with this planet or with the whole accidental universe - because, like Spinoza's God, it won't love us in return.”
God“If all our happiness is bound up entirely in our personal circumstances it is difficult not to demand of life more than it has to give.”
Happiness