Meandering in the stacks . . .

Today is the birthday of Bertrand Arthur William Russell (May 18, 1872 – February 2,1970), philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, socialist, pacifist, and social critic.

In 1950, Bertrand Russell received the Nobel Prize in Literature - in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.

"To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead." - Bertrand Russell

"I do not believe that I am now dreaming, but I cannot prove that I am not. I am, however, quite certain that I am having certain experiences, whether they be those of a dream or those of waking life." - Bertrand Russell

"All who are not lunatics are agreed about certain things. That it is better to be alive than dead, better to be adequately fed than starved, better to be free than a slave. Many people desire those things only for themselves and their friends; they are quite content that their enemies should suffer. These people can only be refuted by science: Humankind has become so much one family that we cannot ensure our own prosperity except by ensuring that of everyone else. If you wish to be happy yourself, you must resign yourself to seeing others also happy." - Bertrand Russell

"A hallucination is a fact, not an error; what is erroneous is a judgment based upon it." - Bertrand Russell

"It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly." - Bertrand Russell

"We all have a tendency to think that the world must conform to our prejudices. The opposite view involves some effort of thought, and most people would die sooner than think — in fact they do so." - Bertrand Russell

Russell image source (1)