If reason be a gift of Heaven, and we can say as much of faith, Heaven has certainly made us two gifts not only incompatible, but in direct contradiction to each other. In order to solve the difficulty, we are compelled to say either that faith is a chimera or that reason is useless.

I have not the hope of being immortal, because the desire of it has not given me that vanity.

I like better for one to say some foolish thing upon important matters than to be silent. That becomes the subject of discussion and dispute, and the truth is discovered.

Those who fear the facts will forever try to discredit the fact-finders.

The world is the house of the strong. I shall not know until the end what I have lost or won in this place, in this vast gambling den where I have spent more than sixty years, dice box in hand, shaking the dice.

One may demand of me that I should seek truth, but not that I should find it

Do you see this egg? With this you can topple every theological theory, every church or temple in the world.