Robert G. Ingersoll quotes - page 12

The doctrine of immortality rests upon human affection. We love; therefore, we wish to live. (Robert G. Ingersoll)
It always has been and forever will be impossible for slavery or any kind or form of injustice to produce a great poet. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Surely there is grandeur in knowing that in the realm of thought, at least, you are without a chain; that you have the right to explore all heights and depth; that there are no walls nor fences, nor prohibited places, nor sacred corners in all the vast expanse of thought. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Is there beyond the silent night An endless day? Is death a door that leads to light? We cannot say. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
According to the theologians, God, the Father of us all, wrote a letter to his children. The children have always differed somewhat as to the meaning of this letter. In consequence of these honest differences, these brothers began to cut out each other's hearts. In every land, where this letter from God has been read, the children to whom and for whom it was written have been filled with hatred and malice. They have imprisoned and murdered each other, and the wives and children of each other. In the name of God every possible crime has been committed, every conceivable outrage has been perpetrated. Brave men, tender and loving women, beautiful girls, and prattling babes have been exterminated in the name of Jesus Christ. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
When the utter absurdity of the Mosaic account of creation became apparent to all thoughtful men, the church changed the reading of the Bible. Then it was pretended that the "days” of creation were vast periods of time. When it was shown to be utterly impossible that the sun revolved around the earth, then the account given by Joshua of the sun standing still for the space of a whole day, was changed into a figure of speech. It was said that Joshua merely conformed to the mode of speech common in his day; and that when he said the sun stood still, he merely intended to convey the idea that the earth ceased turning upon its axis. Is there a sensible man in the world who believes this wretched piece of ignorance? View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
When a man really believes that it is necessary to do a certain thing to be happy forever, or that a certain belief is necessary to ensure eternal joy, there is in that man no spirit of concession. He divides the whole world into saints and sinners, into believers and unbelievers, into God's sheep and Devil's goats, into people who will be glorified and people who will be damned. If Christ, in fact, said "I came not to bring peace but a sword,” it is the only prophecy in the New Testament that has been literally fulfilled. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Our hope of immortality does not come from any religions, but nearly all religions come from that hope. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
The man who does not do his own thinking is a slave, and is a traitor to himself and to his fellow-men. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
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. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
No one infers a god from the simple, from the known, from what is understood, but from the complex, from the unknown, and incomprehensible. Our ignorance is God; what we know is science. (Robert G. Ingersoll)
Every sect is a certificate that God has not plainly revealed his will to man. To each reader the Bible conveys a different meaning. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Custom meets us at the cradle and leaves us only at the tomb. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
In all ages the people have honored those who dishonored them. They have worshiped their destroyers; they have canonized the most gigantic liars, and buried the great thieves in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monuments sleeps the dust of murder. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
If we are immortal it is a fact in nature, and we are not indebted to priests for it, nor to bibles for it, and it cannot be destroyed by unbelief. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Every library is an arsenal. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Wait until the world is free before you write a creed. In this creed there will be but one word - Liberty. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Great virtues may draw attention from defects, they cannot sanctify them. A pebble surrounded by diamonds remains a common stone, and a diamond surrounded by pebbles is still a gem. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a benefactor whether he soweth grain or not. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Nothing is greater than to break the chains from the bodies of men, nothing nobler than to destroy the phantom of the soul. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Arguments cannot be answered by personal abuse; there is no logic in slander, and falsehood, in the long run, defeats itself. (Robert G. Ingersoll)
I will not attack your doctrines nor your creeds if they accord liberty to me. If they hold thought to be dangerous - if they aver that doubt is a crime, then I attack them one and all, because they enslave the minds of men. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Hope is the only universal liar who never loses his reputation for veracity. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death - that is heroism. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll
Religion can never reform mankind because religion is slavery. View quote
Robert G. Ingersoll