#skeptic

The path of sound credence is through the thick forest of skepticism. ↗

— George Jean Nathan

#forest #path #skepticism #sound #thick

The parents have a right to say that no teacher paid by their money shall rob their children of faith in God and send them back to their homes skeptical, or infidels, or agnostics, or atheists. ↗

— William Jennings Bryan

#atheists #back #children #faith #god

If I were to construct a God I would furnish Him with some way and qualities and characteristics which the Present lacks. ↗

— Mark Twain

#agnosticism #atheism #atheist #freedom #god

Authority has every reason to fear the skeptic, for authority can rarely survive in the face of doubt. ↗

— Vita Sackville-West

#doubt #every #face #fear #rarely

Because a truly skeptical position would be a very uncertain one. ↗

— Rupert Sheldrake

#position #skeptical #truly #uncertain #very

I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it. ↗

— Thomas Paine

#religion #skepticism #age

Every aspect of Nature reveals a deep mystery and touches our sense of wonder and awe. Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries. ↗

— Carl Sagan

#science #skepticism #courage

The glory of science is, that it is freeing the soul, breaking the mental manacles, getting the brain out of bondage, giving courage to thought, filling the world with mercy, justice, and joy. ↗

— Robert G. Ingersoll

#science #skepticism #courage

If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for us. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness. ↗

— Carl Sagan

#education #humanity #rights #science #skepticism

What we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts. ↗

— Thomas Henry Huxley

#faith #religion #science #skepticism #faith