Intolerance of groups is often, strangely enough, exhibited more strongly against small differences than against fundamental ones.

It could be ventured to understand obsessive compulsive neurosis as the pathological counterpart of religious development, to define neurosis as an individual religiosity; to define religion as a universal obsessive compulsive neurosis.

The effect of the consolations of religion may be compared to that of a narcotic.

After all, we did not invent symbolism; it is a universal age-old activity of the human imagination.

Words have a magical power. They can either bring the greatest happiness or the deepest despair.

You can always make a lot of people love one another so long as there are a smaller number outside the group for them to kick.

Experience teaches that for most people there is a limit beyond which their constitution cannot comply with the demands of civilization. All who wish to reach a higher standard than their constitution will allow, fall victims to neurosis. It would have been better for them if they could have remained less "perfect".