Love of England is very nearly the strongest emotion that I possess.
the Autobiography Of Bertrand Russellby bertrand Russell
In general, I find that things that have happened to me out of doors have made a deeper impression than things that have happened indoors.
The beginnings of algebra I found far more difficult, perhaps as a result of bad teaching, I was made to learn by heart: ‘The square of the sum of two numbers is equal to the sum of their squares increased by twice their product.’ I had not the vaguest idea what this meant, and when I could not remember the words, my tutor threw the book at my head, which did not stimulate my intellect in any way.
Dogmatism and skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.
My advice to anyone who wishes to write is to know all the very best literature by heart, and ignore the rest as completely as possible.
Nature and books and (later) mathematics saved me from complete despondency.
