Keeping religion immune from criticism is both unwarranted and dangerous.

A truly open mind means forcing our imaginations to conform to the evidence of reality, and not vice versa.

Science has been effective at furthering our understanding of nature because the scientific ethos is based on three key principles: (1) follow the evidence wherever it leads; (2) if one has a theory, one needs to be willing to try to prove it wrong as much as one tries to prove that it is right; (3) the ultimate arbiter of truth is experiment, not the comfort one derives from one's a priori beliefs, nor the beauty or elegance one ascribes to one's theoretical models.

The real thing that physics tell us about the universe is that it's big, rare event happens all the time — including life — and that doesn't mean it's special.

The really important thing is learning how to sceptically question and rely on empirical evidence.

Forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.

There is a maxim about the universe which I always tell my students: That which is not explicitly forbidden is guaranteed to occur.