Government is a necessary evil

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.

A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.

He who dares not offend cannot be honest.

[A]ll churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, are simply human inventions. They use fear to enslave us. They are a monopoly for power and profit.

If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

Religion is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize humankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it as I detest everything that is cruel.

Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.

...Mrs. Bostwick's face was heavy and lethargic, without any strength or delicacy, and it bore the deep marks of what must have been a habitual dissatisfaction.

Man's many desires are like the small metal coins he carries about in his pocket. The more he has the more they weight him down.

The best journalism is sometimes about footnotes—when we write small to say something big.

The unknown is the governing principle of war.

On the stage on which we are observing it, — Universal History — Spirit displays itself in its most concrete reality.

When people have good energy, I feel it. And generally I feel that people do like me. And that makes me very happy.

John Howard's credibility on the entire Iraq war has been torpedoed by John Howard's own intelligence agency.

The most difficult secret for a man to keep is the opinion he has of himself.

Empathize with silence by listening for the feelings and needs behind it.

I would not be the mere President of a Party. I feel bound to administer the government untrammeled by party schemes.