Need a cozy sweatshirt, bookish tote, or mug? Get one at the BookBrowse Merch Store!

Who said: "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts."

BookBrowse's Favorite Quotes

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Bertrand RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, social reformist and pacifist (for which he was imprisoned during WWI). Along with G.E. Moore, Russell is generally recognized as one of the founders of analytic philosophy. He is also often credited with being one of the two most important logicians (a person who studies logic) of the twentieth century. In addition, Russell made significant contributions to a broad range of subjects including education, history, political theory and religious studies.

After a life marked by controversy, he was awarded the Order of Merit in 1949 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought." He is noted for his many anti-war and anti-nuclear protests and as a champion of free trade and anti-imperialism; for example, he campaigned against Hitler and for nuclear disarmament, and criticized Soviet totalitarianism and the USA's involvement in Vietnam.

Most bibliographies cite 80 or more works written by him, but that is a mere fraction of his total output. In 1983 McMaster University began publishing The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell. The collection is currently up to 16 volumes with much more to come. Apparently, an additional three volumes are devoted to simply cataloguing his bibliography (the Russell archives at McMaster University hold more than 30,000 letters written by him). Of all his works, he is perhaps best remembered for his History of Western Philosophy (1945).

More quotes from Bertrand Russell:

  • Collective fear stimulates herd instinct.
  • We are faced with the paradoxical fact that education has become one of the chief obstacles to intelligence and freedom of thought.
  • There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.
  • There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.

More Quotes

This quote & biography originally ran in an issue of BookBrowse's membership magazine. Full Membership Features & Benefits.

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Dream Count
    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    A searing new novel from the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists, exploring four women's desires.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Fagin the Thief
    by Allison Epstein

    A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London's most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.

  • Book Jacket

    The Dream Hotel
    by Laila Lalami

    A Read with Jenna pick. A riveting novel about one woman's fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.

  • Book Jacket

    Jane and Dan at the End of the World
    by Colleen Oakley

    Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

  • Book Jacket

    Raising Hare
    by Chloe Dalton

    A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, and loss through one woman's friendship with a wild hare.

  • Book Jacket

    The Antidote
    by Karen Russell

    A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.

  • Book Jacket

    Girl Falling
    by Hayley Scrivenor

    The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.

Who Said...

Dictators ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

B O a F F T

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.