Speech in Birmingham, England encouraging civil disobedience in support of nuclear disarmament (15 April 1961)
“
This idea of weapons of mass extermination is utterly horrible and is something which no one with one spark of humanity can tolerate. I will not pretend to obey a government which is organising a mass massacre of mankind.
— Bertrand Russell
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "This idea of weapons of mass extermination is utterly horrible and is something which no one with one spark of humanity can tolerate. I will not pretend to obey a government which is organising a mass massacre of mankind." in the context of "Speech in Birmingham, England encouraging civil disobedience in support of nuclear disarmament (15 April 1961)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Bertrand Russell" (Quotes, 1960s)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 08, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell (May 18, 1872 – February 2, 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. In 1950, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature.
About Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell (May 18, 1872 – February 2, 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. In 1950, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature.
View all quotes →