“Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries,
the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with
which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that
we called it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history
of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and, for
my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel.”
- Thomas Paine, as quoted by Akerley
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy
of life is when men are afraid of the light."
- Plato
“Why is he asking me? Yes, I have suffered from depression. I don't know how you cope really. It's generally gone away. I think with mental problems what you have to do is not fight against them but find a way of accepting that's how you feel. By doing that their power is greatly diminished. You should try to accept it and take it into yourself, to lessen its power. Sometimes depression can be a way of showing you something. Any mental trouble I have had I wouldn't want to change it, it's a way of telling you to do something else, to look at your life and to try and learn from it.”
- Alexei Sayle