Happiness, as is evident, depends partly upon external circumstances and partly upon oneself.

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.

Science fiction at its best should be crazy and dangerous, not sane and safe.

Passion is at the heart of your motivation. Let it fuel your spirit and feed your joy. It is your catalyst for courageous pursuits—and it will provide you the stamina to stick with it.

And what would we be, we sinful creatures, without fear, perhaps the most foresighted, the most loving of the divine gifts?

Automatically thinking ‘everything that happens is God’s will’ is a lazy way to live. We live in a war. Jesus wasn’t fighting the Father’s will when He raised the dead.

The drives you take for granted ("I'm a hetero/homosexual," "I'm attracted to children/adults," "I'm aggressive/not aggressive," and so on) depend on the intricate details of your neural machinery.

When I write I know that I'm going to have to produce 40 percent more than I need.

I like what I hear other guys doing, but the thing that really attracts me is melodic playing.

I've never had to explain Prometheus to people, ever. Most people get it.

I don't understand why people talk of art as a luxury when it's a mind-altering possibility.

When I found somebody who I fell in love with, it made me feel different than I felt the rest of the day. It was electrifying.