“I am not afraid of any god in the universe who would send me or any other man or woman to hell. If there were such a being, he would not be a god; he would be a devil.”

Anyone can spot a lie, unless he is in need of that lie.

Wars always bring about a conservative reaction. They overwhelm and destroy patient and careful efforts to improve the condition of man.

I don’t believe in God because I don’t believe in Mother Goose.

My constitution was destroyed long ago; now I am living under the bylaws.

Chloroform unfit children. Show them the same mercy that is shown beasts that are no longer fit to live.

Someday I hope to write a book where the royalties will pay for the copies I give away.

Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.

Whenever I hear people discussing birth control, I always remember that I was fifth.

In spite of all the yearnings of men, no one can produce a single fact or reason to support the belief in God and in personal immortality.

I have suffered from being misunderstood, but I would have suffered a hell of a lot more if I had been understood.

I am an agnostic; I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of.

The man who fights for his fellow-man is a better man than the one who fights for himself.

I feel as I always have, that the earth is the home and the only home of man, and I am convinced that whatever he is to get out of his existence he must get while he is here.

Inside every lawyer is the wreck of a poet.

Eugene V. Debs has always been one of my heroes.

No man is a good citizen, a good neighbor, a good friend, or a good man just because he obeys the law. The intrinsic worth is determined mainly by the intrinsic make-up.

Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.

I would advise young artists to paint as they can, as long as they can, without being afraid of painting badly.

I went through a long period where I was afraid of doing things I wanted to do, and you get your courage back, which is what’s important.

It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.

Who would you be if you were not afraid?

It’s when we become afraid of everything and worried about everything that you are never going to reach your highest potential.

The way to defeat fear: decide on a course of conduct and follow it. Keep so busy and work so hard that you forget about being afraid.

And once you’re unafraid with death, I think your capacity for violence is immediately increased. Once you’re unafraid of death, you are a very, very dangerous adversary.