Unless a man has been taught what to do with success after getting it, the achievement of it must inevitably leave him a prey to boredom.

Whether science-and indeed civilization in general-can long survive depends upon psychology, that is to say, it depends upon what human beings desire.

It is only theory that makes men completely incautious.

Both in thought and in feeling, even though time be real, to realise the unimportance of time is the gate of wisdom.

Against my will, in the course of my travels, the belief that everything worth knowing was known at Cambridge gradually wore off. In this respect my travels were very useful to me.

To be happy in this world, especially when youth is past, it is necessary to feel oneself not merely an isolated individual whose day will soon be over, but part of the stream of life flowing on from the first germ to the remote and unknown future.

We know that the exercise of virtue should be its own reward, and it seems to follow that the enduring of it on the part of the patient should be its own punishment.

People who are vigorous and brutal often find war enjoyable, provided that it is a victorious war and that there is not too much interference with rape and plunder. This is a great help in persuading people that wars are righteous.

The first step in wisdom, as well as in morality, is to open the windows of the ego as wide as possible.

My sad conviction is that people can only agree about what they're not really interested in.