Bertrand Russell

And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)

Russell is right in thinking that God does not have a vanity that would be offended by anyone's doubt about his existence. But of course Russell is not really interested in exploring God's character. His aim, as is often the case, is to mock those who believe in God, and indeed, God Himself, which might well offend Him, since Russell really should know better.

Jalaluddin Rumi, poet and mystic (1207-1273)

Many demolitions are actually renovations. -Jalaluddin Rumi, poet and mystic (1207-1273)

Equally, many so-called renovations are actually demolitions.

Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher

Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. -Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and writer (121-180)

Clearly, for Marcus Aurelius, the gods are made in his own image.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

One can promise actions, but not feelings, for the latter are involuntary. He who promises to love forever or hate forever or be forever faithful to someone is promising something that is not in his power. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

As is often the case, Nietzsche is confusing things here, in a very modern fashion. Neither love nor faithfulness nor even hate are primarily feelings but rather ways of acting.

Andrew Dickson White, diplomat, historian, and educator

The cardinal doctrine of a fanatic's creed is that his enemies are the enemies of God. -Andrew Dickson White, diplomat, historian, and educator (1832-1918)

It is revealing that White seems to think that fanatics are always religious. I think it is very common today for there to be decidedly nonreligious, even anti-religious, fanatics.

Charles R. Magel, professor of philosophy

Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: "Because the animals are like us." Ask the experimenters why it is morally OK to experiment on animals, and the answer is: "Because the animals are not like us." Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction. -Charles R. Magel, professor of philosophy

I think that this is a shameful distortion, considering that the source is a professor of philosophy. Experimenters experiment on animals because they can learn things that will be beneficial to humans. (They also experiment on humans in certain ways for the same reason.) It is morally acceptable to experiment on animals because animals are not like us in morally significant ways. What the experimenters say these differences are varies somewhat, but the argument is not nearly as simplistic as the professor puts it.

Hafez, 14th century Persian poet

Don't surrender your loneliness
So quickly.
Let it cut more deeply.
Let it ferment and season you
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can. -Hafez, poet (1315-1390)

In a very real and deep sense, we humans are alone. As close as we may be to others, or an other, we can't be completely known, nor can we fully know another person. One of the blessings of the Christian faith is that we know that we are known by another, the Other, and he loves us. Pondering our loneliness, realizing it and embracing it, should draw us closer to God.

Jonathan Swift, satirist

I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities, and all my love is toward individuals. -Jonathan Swift, satirist (1667-1745)

Hate is too strong a word, I think, since it precludes loyalty, which is appropriate and even required in some cases.

Elbert Hubbard, 1856-1915, writer, philosopher

"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive." -- Elbert Hubbard

I have my own version of this: Don't take this life too seriously. It's only temporary.

Arnold H. Glasgow

"The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion."-- Arnold H. Glasgow

Sadly, this is too often true.

William James

"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task." -- William James

Too true!

Andy Rooney

"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done." -- Andy Rooney

Mr. Rooney is pushing his curmudgeonly image here, but he is wrong. While it is certainly true that computers aren't required to do much of anything by most people, they do in fact make it easier to do many very important things, such as distributing food and other necessities. A better example might be the distribution of electricity, which could not be done as it is today without the use of computers.

William Blake

One law for the lion and ox is oppression. -William Blake, poet, engraver, and painter (1757-1827)

Blake's concern, of course, is not with actual lions and oxen, but with humans of different personality, character, and, perhaps, position, which makes his opinion false.

Billie Jean King and Ernie Banks

"The main thing is to care. Care very hard, even if it is only a game you are playing." -- Billie Jean King

Ernie Banks, the great Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, said this recently, "You have to care, but not too much." I think they are both right, and resolving the conflict isn't simply a matter of moderation in all things. What is required is the wisdom to know how to express your passion for each aspect of life, and how far.

Oscar Wilde

Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace. -Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900)

I really wonder if Wilde was speaking tongue in cheek here. In any case, this isn't what death is like.

Aeschylus

"It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish." -- Aeschylus

This may be a useful ploy sometimes, but it is a foolish as a general principle.

Pythagoras, mathematician

"Above all things, reverence yourself." -- Pythagoras

It is true that I am made in the image of God and so should be revered, but certainly not above all things.

Epictetus, philosopher

Only the educated are free. -Epictetus, philosopher (c. 60-120)

If we take educated to mean what we usually do today, this isn't true. "The truth shall set you free," but being educated these days doesn't necessarily result in knowing the truth. But one can learn the truth that sets him free without ever going to school.

Seneca

"Difficulties strengthen the mind, as well as labor does the body." -- Seneca

As with physical labor, how one approaches difficulties impacts their effects on the mind.

Salman Rushdie, writer

What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist. -Salman Rushdie, writer (b. 1947)

The bounds for freedom of expression are set by truth, not by offense given. This principle is even enshrined in common law.

Michio Kaku, physicist

"Did God have a mother?" Children, when told that God made the heavens and the earth, innocently ask whether God had a mother. This deceptively simple question has stumped the elders of the church and embarrassed the finest theologians, precipitating some of the thorniest theological debates over the centuries. All the great religions have elaborate mythologies surrounding the divine act of Creation, but none of them adequately confronts the logical paradoxes inherent in the question that even children ask. -Michio Kaku, physicist (b. 1947)

As brilliant as he is in physics, I think he has not really looked into the subject he is pontificating on here. Over the two thousand years of Christian theology, the nature of God, including this aspect, has been deeply pondered and the paradoxes confronted. But perhaps it is just that he can't get out of the materialist box.

Douglas Adams, satirist (1952-201)

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer. -Douglas Adams, satirist (1952-2001)

Well done! Unfortunately, not everyone takes that view.

Studs Terkel, author

"Most of us, like the assembly line worker, have jobs that are too small for our spirit." -- Studs Terkel

None of us has a job that is big enough for our spirits, because our spirits were created for God. Our worship sometimes comes close to being completely fulfilling, but only in eternity will we be completely satisfied.

Anita Roddick

"The end result of kindness is that it draws people to you." -- Anita Roddick
A good reminder for personal evangelism, although kindness is an end in itself.

John Locke

"A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world." -- John Locke
Not such a full description. Unless one has a sound soul as well the happiness is illusory.

Ivan Goncharov, novelist

It is a trick among the dishonest to offer sacrifices that are not needed, or not possible, to avoid making those that are required. -Ivan Goncharov, novelist (1812-1891)
Such a ploy is maddening to those who are wise to the trick because to protest against the offer can appear ungenerous at least, but not to object can lead to worse consequences.

Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, moralist

Perfect valor is to behave, without witnesses, as one would act were all the world watching. -Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, moralist (1613-1680)
This assumes that one would always act with valor when all the world was watching. In these days, however, valor is not universally applauded, in fact often ridiculed, so that it seems that in most contexts one is more likely to act with valor when no one is watching. It is a sad commentary on our society.

Jean Anouilh, dramatist

Every man thinks God is on his side. The rich and powerful know he is. -Jean Anouilh, dramatist (1910-1987)

Anouilh is mistaken about the rich.  Jesus said, "Woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation." Lk 6:24  The prophets of the Old Testament often said the same.

Edith Wharton

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton

But in fact even the candle only shows forth the light that it receives.  Only God is a true original.

Martin Luther King, Jr

Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others? -Martin Luther King, Jr , civil-rights leader (1929-1968)
 
Who feels the urgency of this question?

Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman

The eye of the understanding is like the eye of the sense; for as you may see great objects through small crannies or holes, so you may see great axioms of nature through small and contemptible instances. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626)

This can be applied to spiritual matters, too. A relatively small blessing may reveal a great truth about God and his relationship to mankind.

Dan Barker, former preacher, musician

Not thinking critically, I assumed that the "successful" prayers were proof that God answers prayer while the failures were proof that there was something wrong with me. -Dan Barker, former preacher, musician (b. 1949)

Thinking critically, one should realize that thinking about prayers as "successful" or "unsuccessful" is completely wrong-headed from the start. God is good, first of all, and stands outside of history and sees all of our lives from beginning to end. His response to our entreaties is for our own eternal good, which is always beyond our feeble apprehension.

Lionel Strachey, writer and translator (1864-1927)

To be patriotic, hate all nations but your own; to be religious, all sects but your own; to be moral, all pretences but your own. -Lionel Strachey, writer and translator (1864-1927)

Typical modern pseudo-intellectual cynicism, which takes the worst examples of adherents to traditional values as the defining representatives.

Charles Lindbergh

"Real freedom lies in wildness, not in civilization." -- Charles Lindbergh

A typically American mistake. Rather, true freedom consists in the possibility to become your best self. This is not the same as wildness, which may in fact prevent true freedom.

Oscar Wilde

Truth, in matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived. -Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900)

Since the Holy Spirit guides the Church, as Catholics believe, this is quite true, which would probably surprise Wilde. This is the meaning of the infallibility.

Malayan proverb

"Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm." -- Malayan Proverb

And don't think the devil is gone just because you don't smell sulfur.

Mark Twain

Faith is believing what you know ain't so. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

Here is a better authority on the subject: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Heb 11:1

Eric Hoffer, philosopher

What monstrosities would walk the streets were some people's faces as unfinished as their minds. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983)

What horrors, and what beauties, we would see if people's faces reflected the state of their souls. And someday they will.

Jeph Jacques, Web cartoonist

"You can either hold yourself up to the unrealistic standards of others, or ignore them and concentrate on being happy with yourself as you are." -- Jeph Jacques

In truth, these aren't the only choices. One can also consider the expectations of others and see if there might be some merit in them. None of us is yet the best we can be, though it is surely a mistake to try to conform only to other people's opinions.

Jules Renard, writer

Words are the small change of thought. -Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910)

I would think it more accurate to say that words are the currency of thought, not just the small change. Certainly we cannot exchange our thoughts without words, and I would say that big thoughts, properly expressed, require substantial investment, no matter the denominations of currency used. In fact, I doubt that we can think at all without words, and we need words proportional to our thoughts.

Yahia Lababidi, author

Like cars in amusement parks, our direction is often determined through collisions. -Yahia Lababidi, author (b. 1973)

This is very true. Conflicts and obstacles are one of the ways God works in our lives, not only to get us moving in the right direction, but also to pound us into the right shape.

Henry David Thoreau

"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something." -- Henry David Thoreau

As usual, I can't buy Thoreau's aphorism. Aiming above morality seems to me to be like aiming above the sky. Saying we should be more than "simply good" indicates to me a very meager understanding of goodness. To be truly good means to be good like God is good. On the other hand, being "good for something" puts a limit on my goodness.

Lech Walesa, human rights activist, Polish president, Nobel laureate

Power is only important as an instrument for service to the powerless. -Lech Walesa, human rights activist, Polish president, Nobel laureate (b. 1943)

Excellent thought! A sentiment we should look for in those we choose to give power to.

Robert Anton Wilson, novelist

Only the madman is absolutely sure. -Robert Anton Wilson, novelist (1932-2007)

How does this square with my belief in God and his goodness? My experience has convinced me that God is and he is good above all, so much so that I am staking my life on it. But it is also true that my experience tells me that I am not infallible. In the end, I can understand and sympathize with those who struggle with doubt, but my belief in God is still the rock on which I stand.

Joseph Prescott, aphorist (1913-2001)

To profess to be doing God's will is a form of megalomania. -Joseph Prescott, aphorist (1913-2001)
This is obviously not true as a universal declaration, although in some cases it may be true. Obeying the commandments, for example, is doing God's will, but saying so is not pathological. Even in cases of what might be called private revelation it might simply be true when someone says he is doing God's will. Prescott, however, probably didn't believe that God might reveal his particular will for an individual or situation to anyone. Perhaps he didn't believe in God at all. By now he knows the truth. R.I.P.

Montgomery Burns, of The Simpsons

"Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business." -- Montgomery Burns
This quote is shocking if you don't realize who Montgomery Burns is, the evil owner of the nuclear power plant Homer Simpson works at. But it hints at the dangers inherent in striving for success in business.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Knowledge and timber shouldn't be much used till they are seasoned." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes
I don't often agree with Oliver Wendell Holmes, but this time I do.