This is one of those views which are so absolutely absurd that only very learned men could possibly adopt them.

One of the chief obstacles to intelligence is credulity, and credulity could be enormously diminished by instructions as to the prevalent forms of mendacity.

For some reason which I have failed to understand, many people like the system [scientific totalitarianism] when it is Russian but disliked the very same system when it was German. I am compelled to think that this is due to the power of labels; these people like whatever is labelled ‘Left’ without examining whether the label has any justification.

Literature is inexhaustible, with every book a homage to infinity

We love our habits more than our income, often more than our life.

Right conduct can never, except by some rare accident, be promoted by ignorance or hindered by knowledge.

Really high-minded people are indifferent to happiness, especially other people's.