The ideas of theologians are refuted by their adversaries, the ideas of scientists are refuted by their followers.

There is something very intriguing about, for example, the sense of accomplishment that a small child has, which you might be able to reduce to aggression and libido, but which might also have some independent existence.

Since God is silent, man is his own master; he must live in a disenchanted world, submit everything to criticism, and make his own way.

I decided that what I really wanted to do was to make my writing in history deeper, if that's the right word to use. And that is what I did.

To have a liberal temperament is a kind of psychological boon, To be able to understand that someone you disagree with is not just a terrible creature but somebody with whom you disagree.

What interests me, and has always interested me, has been modernism.

My definition of modernism took a while to develop.