"... intelligent people are full of doubts ..." quote (2 Viewers)

Another quote attributed to Charles Bukowski and copied all over without any details: "the problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence".
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Does anyone know if this is a real Bukowski quote?

Thanks!
 
The phrase "full of doubt" doesn't appear in any of his books. If it's a real Bukowski quote it would have to come from an interview somewhere.

My two cents is it doesn't sound like Bukowski. It's pedestrian and not even proper English (doubt, not doubts). If it turned out to be from an interview I'd be surprised. But I've been surprised and wrong once or twice before. But just once or twice.
 
I tried Googling the sentence and found this at http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/russell.htm :

"The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt"
- Bertrand Russell, "Christian Ethics" from "Marriage and Morals" (1950), quoted from James A. Haught, ed, 2000 Years of Disbelief.
I found the same quote at other sites too, where they were also attributed to Bertrand Russell, so I think it's safe to say it's a quote by Bertrand Russell.
 
A wise Norwegian author put it this way:
People who can think don't get things done,
while people who get things done don't have time to think...

-Arne Garborg
 
That sounds right, paraphrased and then wrongly attributed. Thank you so much for the quick answer.

Another one (real quote along the same lines):
The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
Yeats (Michael Robartes and the Dancer - 1921)
 
The specific poem to look at in Michael Robartes and the Dancer is 'The Second Coming' -- a great poem.
 
I'm know I read this in one of his books. Just not sure which one. and about someone saying it's pedestrian and not proper English; Buk hardly ever uses proper english. He's not shakespeare
 
Well here it is in a graphic, which forever settles any argument as to attribution. Because, of course, who would make a graphic if it wasn't 100% accurate? That's right, nobody would! Sheesh.

That Bertrand looks like he was a barrel of laughs.

bertrand-russell-160424.jpg
 
Granted... not a looker but in my young CND days he was the pin up grandad, gotta love his big brain and a bit saucy too, early advocate of free love, open marriages and christ knows what else; that got him sacked from a university post in New York - for being a degenerate probably.
Jailed twice, did 6 months in Brixton Prison in 1918 for anti war writing and in 1961 a further week for anti nuclear protests, met some of the 20th century bad boys - Lenin and Trotsky.Wouldn't think it to look at him though. A big, big life, just wish I could understand a bit of all that maths stuff.

http://www.revleft.com/vb/philosoph...02006d78605092bd08baf02f7593d3cc&t=127222


This is a weird coincidence... just looking and he died on 2nd Feb 1970.
 
"Either the thing is true or it isn't. If it is true, you should believe it and if it isn't true, you shouldn't. And if you can't find out whether it's true or whether it isn't, you should suspend judgement."

Amen to that.
 
I have that copy of Arete and have been meaning to post. It's oversized and my copy is fragile. I'll try to get to it soon.
 

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