For thousands of years people have been trying to force other people to think their way. Did they succeed? No. Will they succeed? No. Why? Because brute force is not an argument.

The priests of one religion never credit the miracles of another religion. Is this because priests instinctively know priests?

The real searcher after truth will not receive the old because it is old, or reject the new because it is new. He will not believe men because they are dead, or contradict them because they are alive. With him an utterance is worth the truth, the reason it contains, without the slightest regard to the author. He may have been a king or serf - a philosopher or servant, - but the utterance neither gains nor loses in truth or reason. Its value is absolutely independent of the fame or station of the man who gave it to the world.

It may be that ministers really think that their prayers do good, and it may be that frogs imagine that their croaking brings spring.

This crime called blasphemy was invented by priests for the purpose of defending doctrines not able to take care of themselves.

This is my creed: Happiness is the only good; reason the only torch; justice the only worship, humanity the only religion, and love the only priest.

In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences.