Suspicion and persecution are weeds of the same dunghill, and flourish best together.

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.

Whether you live a healthy or a toxic lifestyle, the end result will always be death.

There are hopes, the bloom of whose beauty would be spoiled by the trammels of description; too lovely, too delicate, too sacred for words, they should only be known through the sympathy of hearts.

I have always found writing pleasant and don't understand what people mean by 'throes of creation.'

We are generalists. You can't draw neat lines around planet-wide problems. Planetology is a cut-and-fit science.

The gift of the Truth beats all other gifts. The flavour of the Truth beats all other tastes. The joy of the Truth beats all other joys, and the cessation of desire conquers all suffering

If a horse doesn't want to do something, you're not going to make him do it. They're incredibly powerful animals.

Truth is something which you must see immediately — and to see something clearly you must give your heart and your mind and your whole being to it immediately.

Grasp it all, don't be afraid, enjoy the bits you can and tell your family you love them while you have the chance.

I didn't sit down and work out other people's material; I've never believed in that.

Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am.