"I cannot pretend that what I have done in regard to social and political problems has had any great importance. It is comparatively easy to have an immense effect by means of a dogmatic and precise gospel, such as that of Communism. But for my part I cannot believe that what mankind needs is anything either precise or dogmatic. Nor can I believe with any wholeheartedness in any partial doctrine which deals only with some part or aspect of human life. There are those who hold that everything depends upon institutions, and that good institutions will inevitably bring the millennium. And, on the other hand, there are those who believe that what is needed is a change of heart, and that, in comparison, institutions are of little account. I cannot accept either view. Institutions mould character, and character transforms institutions. Reforms in both must march hand in hand. And if individuals are to retain that measure of initiative and flexibility which they ought to have, they must not be all forced into one rigid mould; or, to change the metaphor, all drilled into one army. Diversity is essential in spite of the fact that it precludes universal acceptance of a single gospel. But to preach such a doctrine is difficult especially in arduous times. And perhaps it cannot be effective until some bitter lessons have been learned by tragic experience."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Postscript
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Bertrand_Russell
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell
1967 – 1969
52 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell →
Related Quotes
"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowled…"
"At the age of eleven, I began Euclid, with my brother as my tutor. This was one of the great events of my life, as da…"
"At the age of eighteen ... I read Mill's Autobiography, where I found a sentence to the effect that his father taught…"
"I remember the precise moment, one day in 1894, as I was walking along Trinity Lane, when I saw in a flash (or though…"
"I once devised a test question which I put to many people to discover whether they were pessimists. The question was:…"
"Keynes's intellect was the sharpest and clearest that I have ever known. When I argued with him, I felt that I took m…"
"I remember a cold, bright day in early spring [1895] when I walked by myself in the Tiergarten, and made projects of …"
"Against my will, in the course of my travels, the belief that everything worth knowing was known at Cambridge gradual…"
"Suddenly the ground seemed to give way beneath me, and I found myself in quite another region. Within five minutes I …"
"Through the long years  I sought peace, I found ecstasy, I found anguish,  I found madness, I found lonelin…"