When the state intervenes to insure the indoctrination of some doctrine, it does so because there is no conclusive evidence in favor of that doctrine.

Philosophy, if it cannot answer so many questions as we could wish, has at least the power of asking questions which increase the interest of the world, and show the strangeness and wonder lying just below the surface even in the commonest things of daily life.

Moral progress has consisted in the main of protest against cruel customs, and of attempts to enlarge human sympathy.

A marriage is likely to be called happy if neither party ever expected to get much happiness out of it.

One of the chief obstacles to intelligence is credulity, and credulity could be enormously diminished by instructions as to the prevalent forms of mendacity. Credulity is a greater evil in the present day than it ever was before, because, owing to the growth of education, it is much easier than it used to be to spread misinformation, and, owing to democracy, the spread of misinformation is more important than in former times to the holders of power.

The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery.

Perhaps the best hope for the future of mankind is that ways will be found of increasing the scope and intensity of sympathy.