We are biological creatures. We are born, we live, we die. There is no transcendent purpose to existence. At best we are creatures of reason, and by using reason we can cure ourselves of emotional excess. Purged of both hope and fear, we find courage in the face of helplessness, insignificance and uncertainty.

Science will explain how but not why. It talks about what is, not what ought to be. Science is descriptive, not prescriptive; it can tell us about causes but it cannot tell us about purposes. Indeed, science disavows purposes.

The people of Israel are entitled, as is any other nation, to live in peace and safety.

To defend a country, you need an army, but to defend a civilization, you need education...

No great achiever - even those who made it seem easy - ever succeeded without hard work.

The supreme religious challenge is to see God’s image in one who is not in our image.

In an ecology of love, people can relate in trust and face the future without fear. They do not need to play it safe. They can take uncertainty in their stride.