What better way for a ruling class to claim and hold power than to pose as the defenders of the nation.

The secular argument, or the liberal argument, is to as much as possible remove taboos so things do not become unmentionable; to let some air into the discussion.

Part of the function of memory is to forget; the omni-retentive mind will break down and produce at best an idiot savant who can recite a telephone book, and at worst a person to whom every grudge and slight is as yesterday's.

The Koran shows every sign of being thrown together by human beings, as do all the other holy books.

There is almost no country in Africa where it is not essential to know to which tribe, or which subgroup of which tribe, the president belongs. From this single piece of information you can trace the lines of patronage and allegiance that define the state.

Time spent arguing with the faithful is, oddly enough, almost never wasted.

I'm here as a product of process of evolution, which doesn't make very many exceptions. And which rates life relatively cheaply.