One of the most repellent spectacles at election times is the pretense of piety on the part of people running for office.

A gentleman is never rude except on purpose - I can honestly be nasty sober, believe you me.

Flaubert was right when he said that our use of language is like a cracked kettle on which we bang out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we need to move the very stars to pity.

No moral person would do such a thing unless they thought it was divinely warranted.

Unlike other countries, it was founded on written proclamations. America is an ideal as well as a republic. Its documents are open to revisions. They're works in progress. There's an invitation to participate.

My dear wife has, I would say, probably never opened a religious book, and seems to be one of those people to whom the whole idea is utterly remote and absurd.

I leave it to the faithful to burn each other's churches and mosques and synagogues, which they can be always relied upon to do