The human race may well become extinct before the end of the century. Speaking as a mathematician, I should say the odds are about three to one against survival.
The habit of looking to the future and thinking that the whole meaning of the present lies in what it will bring forth is a pernicious one. There can be no value in the whole unless there is value in the parts.
The great world, so far as we know it from the philosophy of nature, is neither good nor bad, and is not concerned to make us happy or unhappy. All such philosophies spring from self-importance, and are best corrected by a little astronomy.
The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good.
The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.
The fundamental defect of fathers, in our competitive society, is that they want their children to be a credit to them.
The fundamental concept in social science is Power, in the same sense in which Energy is the fundamental concept in physics.
The first effect of emancipation from the Church was not to make men think rationally, but to open their minds to every sort of antique nonsense.
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.
The fact that a belief has a good moral effect upon a man is no evidence whatsoever in favor of its truth.
The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment.
The essence of good manners consists in making it clear that one has no wish to hurt. When it is clearly necessary to hurt, it must be done in such a way as to make it evident that the necessity is felt to be regrettable.
