There is no necessity for going to the church and hearing the same story forever. Let the minister write what he wishes to say. Let him publish it. If it is worth buying, people will read it. It is hardly fair to get them in a church in the name of duty and there inflict upon them a sermon that under no circumstances they would read...the idea of going fifty-two days in a year to hear anybody on the same subject is absurd.

My principal objections to orthodox religion are two: slavery here and hell hereafter.

Let us put theology out of religion. Theology has always sent the worst to heaven, the best to hell.

Hope is the consolation of the world.

Theology is not what we know about God, but what we do not know about Nature.

The Church has always been willing to swap off treasures in heaven for cash down.

There will never be a generation of great men until there has been a generation of free women - of free mothers.