To ask whether the natural rights philosophy of the Declaration of Independence is true or false, is essentially a meaningless question.

My own mind is my own church.

Generally speaking, men are influenced by books which clarify their own thought, which express their own notions well, or which suggest to them ideas which their minds are already predisposed to accept

Reason is incompetent to answer any fundamental question about God, or morality, or the meaning of life.

Serious thinkers are few, and the world is ruled by crude ideas.

No one can deny that much of our modern advertising is essentially dishonest; and it can be maintained that to lie freely and all the time for private profit is not to abuse the right of free speech, whether it is a violation of the law or not. But again the practical question is, how much lying for private profit is to be permitted by law?

No class of Americans, so far as I know, has ever objected . . . to any amount of governmental meddling if it appeared to benefit that particular class.