Brian's Wisdom Page

We can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion. This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need.

If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.

The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.

With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.

Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.

The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.

Thinking: The talking of the soul with itself.

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

Action expresses priorities.

To be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.