Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.

—Thomas Jefferson

About Thomas Jefferson

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13 [O.S. April 2], 1743 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Father and the third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. A prolific writer and philosopher, Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. His political philosophy formed the basis...

More quotations from Thomas Jefferson

I read no newspaper now but Ritchie's, and in that chiefly the advertisements, for they contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.

—Thomas Jefferson

Advertisements... contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.

—Thomas Jefferson

Delay is preferable to error.

—Thomas Jefferson

Life is one long process of getting tired.

—Thomas Jefferson

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.

—Thomas Jefferson

More quotations tagged with “atheism”

Ask a deeply religious Christian if he'd rather live next to a bearded Muslim that may or may not be plotting a terror attack, or an atheist that may or may not show him how to set up a wireless network in his house. On the scale of prejudice, atheists don't seem so bad lately.

fear prejudice Christianity atheism

You've got your phenomenon on one hand. Concrete and knowable. On the other hand you've got the incomprehensible. You call it God, but to me, God or no, it remains just that, the unknowable.

—Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess

We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.

—Richard Dawkins

Religion is about turning untested belief into unshakeable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time.

—Richard Dawkins

It is the final proof of God's omnipotence that he need not exist in order to save us.

—Peter De Vries

History

11 Jul 2015 Added