250 quotes
I want to say right here — many a man has cursed the God of another man.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
The scientists never persecuted, never imprisoned their fellow-men.
A Thanksgiving Sermon (1897)
Most people can bear adversity; but if you wish to know what a man really is give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never used it except on the side of mercy.
The truth is, that in favor of almost every sect, the names of some great men can be pronounced.
The Great Infidels (1881)
As long as the church has the power to close the lips of men, so long and no longer will superstition rule this world.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
Blasphemy is the word that the majority hisses into the ear of the few.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
By force you can make hypocrites -- men who will agree with you from the teeth out, and in their hearts hate you. We want no more hypocrites.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
The liberty of man is of far more importance than any book; the rights of man, more sacred than any religion — than any Scriptures, whether inspired or not.
Reason, Observation and Experience — the Holy Trinity of Science — have taught us that happiness is the only good; that the time to be happy is now, and the way to be happy is to make others so. This is enough for us.
The Gods (1876)
Any man that does not give to everybody else the rights he claims for himself, is not an honest man.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
It seems to me that if there is some infinite being who wants us to think alike he would have made us alike.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
“Now,” said Cosmas, “if the world is round, how could the people on the other side see the Lord when he comes?”
My Reviewers Reviewed (1877)
Marriages are made by men and women; not by society; not by the state; not by the church; not by supernatural beings.
Is Divorce Wrong? (1889)
We know that men can be, have been, and are just as wicked with it as without it.
Rome, or Reason? A Reply to Cardinal Manning. Part I. The North American Review (1888)
The idea of hell was born of ignorance, brutality, fear, cowardice, and revenge.
The Great Infidels (1881)
The grandest of all things is to be in the highest and noblest sense a man.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
The truth is that this belief in eternal pain has been the real persecutor.
Why I Am an Agnostic (1896)
Most men are followers, and implicitly rely upon the judgment of others.
The Great Infidels (1881)
Any man who believes that such hideous laws were made by an infinitely wise and benevolent God is, in my judgment, insane or totally depraved.
My Reviewers Reviewed (1877)
The most important thing in this world is liberty. More important than food or clothes — more important than gold or houses or lands — more important than art or science — more important than all religions, is the liberty of man.
The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)