Americans need rest, but do not know it. I believe this to be a large part of the explanation of the crime wave in the United States.

The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.

Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education.

An Honest politician will not be tolerated by a democracy unless he is very stupid ... because only a very stupid man can honestly share the prejudices of more than half the nation.

If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have a paradise in a few years.

We have in fact, two kinds of morality, side by side: one which we preach, but do not practice, and another which we practice, but seldom preach.

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd.

Cruel men believe in a cruel god and use their belief to excuse their cruelty. Only kindly men believe in a kindly god, and they would be kindly in any case.

The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.

Almost all of us have an elevator or two in our lives somewhere. We wait for them, we ride on them. We're annoyed by the wait but pleased with the lift.

Most people, after one success, are so cringingly afraid of doing less well that they rub all the edge off their subsequent work.

When the cats away, the mice will play.

To speak another language is to have another soul

I learned I'm not a science writer. I'm not very good at describing how something is happening. I try to describe "So What?"

Without forgiveness, metaphysics are useless.

My approach is that all policy ought to be evidence-based.

You don't have to make the headlines to make a difference.

We seek opinions that are likely to support what we want to be true.