evidence: FACT CHECK: Did Bertrand Russell Say, ‘War Does Not Determine Who Is Right – Only Who Is Left’? A post shared on Facebook claims that British philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell once stated, "War does not determine who is right – only who is left." [...] While there is no evidence that Russell wrote this quote about war, he may well have agreed with the sentiment. A lifelong peace activist and proponent of nuclear disarmament, Russell often wrote about the subject of war. In his book "Fact and Fiction," he wrote, "Either Man will abolish war, or war will abolish Man."