Moreover, the attitude that one ought to believe such and such a proposition, independently of the question whether there is evidence in its favor, is an attitude which produces hostility to evidence and causes us to close our minds to every fact that does not suit our prejudices.

Boredom is... a vital problem for the moralist, since half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it.

I've made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk with my gardener, I'm convinced of the opposite.

Official morality has always been oppressive and negative: it has said "thou shalt not," and has not troubled to investigate the effect of activities not forbidden by the code.

The legacy of Greece to Western philosophy is Western philosophy.

To save the world requires faith and courage: faith in reason, and courage to proclaim what reason shows to be true.

It is a waste of energy to be angry with a man who behaves badly, just as it is to be angry with a car that won't go.