What were the glories of the sun, if we knew not the gloom of darkness?

I shall say, that I feel myself virtuous, because my soul is at rest.

All that I say is, examine, inquire. Look into the nature of things. Search out the grounds of your opinions, the for and against. Know why you believe, understand what you believe, and possess a reason for the faith that is in you.

We have ... dreamed so much and observed so little, that our imaginations have grown larger than the world we live in, and our judgments have dwindled down to a point.

... your spiritual teachers caution you against enquiry--tell you not to read certain books; not to listen to certain people; to beware of profane learning; to submit your reason, and to receive their doctrines for truths. Such advice renders them suspicious counsellors.

Equality! Where is it, if not in education? Equal rights! They cannot exist without equality of instruction.

... the happiness of a people is the only rational object of government, and the only object for which a people, free to choose, can have a government at all.