 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. |
| The most savage controversies are about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. |
| None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear. |
| Freedom in general may be defined as the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires. |
| Sin is geographical. |
| When the intensity of emotional conviction subsides, a man who is in the habit of reasoning will search for logical grounds in favour of the belief which he finds in himself. |
| Every philosophical problem, when it is subjected to the necessary analysis and justification, is found either to be not really philosophical at all, or else to be, in the sense in which we are using the word, logical. |
| A truer image of the world, I think, is obtained by picturing things as entering into the stream of time from an eternal world outside, than from a view which regards time as the devouring tyrant of all that is. |
| It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this. |
| Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation with oneself. |
| Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, Thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free. |
| Liberty is the right to do what I like; license, the right to do what you like. |
| 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. |
| The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. That is why they invented Hell. |
| There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. |
| Mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true. |
| 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. |
| No; we have been as usual asking the wrong question. It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on the chimney is singing. The real and proper question is: Why is it beautiful? |
| The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. |
| 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. |
