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Even the most humane and compassionate of the monotheisms and polytheisms are complicit in this quiet and irrational authoritarianism: they proclaim us, in Fulke Greville's unforgettable line, "Created sick — Commanded to be well." And there are totalitarian insinuations to back this up if its appeal should fail.

— Christopher Hitchens Letter to a Young Contrarian (2001)

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More quotes by Christopher Hitchens

Intellectuals never sound more foolish than when posing as the last civilised man.

Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere (2000)

Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way.

A good liar must have a good memory. Kissinger is a stupendous liar with a remarkable memory.

Emancipate yourself from the idea of a celestial dictatorship and you've taken the first step to becoming free.

The reading public isn't born that doesn't think foreigners are either funny or faintly sinister.

For the Sake of Argument: Essays and Minority Reports (1993)

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