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The general root of superstition: namely, that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss; and commit to memory the one, and forget and pass over the other.

— Francis Bacon The Works of Francis Bacon (1819)

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Religion

More quotes by Francis Bacon

For all knowledge and wonder (which is the seed of knowledge) is an impression of pleasure in itself.

The Advancement of Learning (1605)

But men must know that in this theater of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on.

The Advancement of Learning (1605)

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.

The Advancement of Learning (1605)

Truth will sooner come out from error than from confusion.

Novum Organum (1620)

The monuments of wit survive the monuments of power.

Essex's Device (1595)

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All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.

Albert Einstein Moral Decay (1937)

Science and religion are two human enterprises sharing many features.

Freeman Dyson Infinite in All Directions (1988)

The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.

John Adams A Defence of the Constitutions of Government (1787)

The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.

Thomas Babington Macaulay History of England (1849)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Francis Bacon (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.