It is preoccupation with possession more than anything else that prevents men from living freely and nobly.

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.

It's a world of sorrow, Oddie, because we make it so.

It's early on a beautiful winter morning. The house is quiet. The sun is shining. I'm thankful. I'm happy. My cup runneth over. Now there's coffee everywhere.

Yeah I know. No one can know what you're doing or who you trust or don't trust, etc., etc.

The greatest of fools are those who fail to mark the invisible from the nonexistent.

A stupid mule is still smarter than a good horse or a bad man.

The knowledge and skills you have achieved are meant to be forgotten so you can float comfortably in emptiness, without obstruction.

The ignorant man always adores what he cannot understand

Because I'm from Manchester I'm always looking for a bit of blue sky wherever I can find it.

If you want things to be right, you have to do them yourself

[A] free government . . . cannot be supported without Virtue.