“If God were suddenly condemned to live the life which He has inflicted upon men, He would kill Himself.”

“I count religion but a childish toy, and hold there is no sin but ignorance.”

“A little philosophy makes a man an Atheist: a great deal converts him to religion”

“Religion is based ... mainly upon fear ... fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race.”

“Je puis nier une chose sans me croire obligé de la salir ou de retirer aux autres le droit d'y croire.”

“Without respect, love cannot go far or rise high: it is an angel with but one wing.”

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.”