Human nature is not nearly as bad as it has been thought to be... In fact it can be said that the possibilities of human nature have customarily been sold short.
— Abraham Maslow
Human Nature
A living man can be enslaved and reduced to the historic condition of an object. But if he dies in refusing to be enslaved, he reaffirms the existence of another kind of human nature which refuses to be classified as an object.
Whatever we may do, excess will always keep its place in the heart of man, in the place where solitude is found. We all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes and our ravages. But our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to fight them in ourselves and in others.
Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.
Man usually avoids attributing cleverness to somebody else—unless it is an enemy.
Only in thought is man a God; in action and desire we are the slaves of circumstance.
— Bertrand Russell
Philosophy
Every man would like to be God, if it were possible; some few find it difficult to admit the impossibility.
— Bertrand Russell
Philosophy
Man is a rational animal – so at least I have been told. Throughout a long life, I have looked diligently for evidence in favor of this statement, but so far I have not had the good fortune to come across it, though I have searched in many countries spread over three continents.
— Bertrand Russell
Philosophy
Man differs from other animals in one very important respect, and that is that he has some desires which are, so to speak, infinite, which can never be fully gratified, and which would keep him restless even in Paradise. The boa constrictor, when he has had an adequate meal, goes to sleep, and does not wake until he needs another meal. Human beings, for the most part, are not like this.
— Bertrand Russell
Philosophy