I know of no crime that has not been defended by the church, in one form or other. The church is not a pioneer; it accepts a new truth, last of all, and only when denial has become useless.
Prayer is of no avail. The lightning falls on the just and the unjust in accordance with natural laws.
We are not accountable for the sins of “Adam”.
Our hope of immortality does not come from any religions, but nearly all religions come from that hope.
The falling leaf that tells of autumn’s death is, in a subtler sense, a prophecy of spring.
I would rather be a beggar and spend my money like a king, than be a king and spend money like a beggar.
By nature all people are alike, but by education become different.
Good nature is the cheapest commodity in the world.
Commerce is the great civilizer. We exchange ideas when we exchange fabrics.
Science built the Academy, superstition the Inquisition.
I have always noticed that the people who have the smallest souls make the most fuss about getting them saved.
In a world of cruelty, sympathy is a crime, and in a world of lies, truth is blasphemy.
Let us agree not to step on each other’s feet.
Custom meets us at the cradle and leaves us only at the tomb.
Good nature is the cheapest commodity in the world, and love is the only thing that will pay ten percent to both borrower and lender.
Every cradle asks us, Whence? and every coffin, Whither? The poor barbarian, weeping above his dead, can answer these questions as intelligently as the robed priest of the most authentic creed.
The way to be happy is to make others so.
Jehovah was not a moral god. He had all the vices and he lacked all the virtues. He generally carried out all his threats, but he never faithfully kept a promise.
The man who finds a truth lights a torch.
Whoever imagines himself a favorite with God holds others in contempt.