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Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other, influence the great bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive in a country, the machinery of Government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself; and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it. Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man, 1791
He that rebels against reason is a real rebel, but he that in defence of reason rebels against tyranny has a better title to Defender of the Faith, than George the Third. Thomas Paine
The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason. Thomas Paine
Reason is a whore, the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but more frequently than not struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God. Martin Luther
Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason. Martin Luther
Reason should be destroyed in all Christians. Martin Luther
How long soever it hath continued, if it be against reason, it is of no force in law. Edward Coke, The First Part of the Institutes of the Laws of England, 1628
Reason is the life of the law, nay the common law itself is nothing else but reason. ibid.
Law ... is the perfection of reason. ibid.
I do not feel obliged to believe God endowed man with reason and intellect and intended for him to forgo their use. Galileo Galilei
In questions of science the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei
Where the senses fail us, reason must step in. Galileo Galilei
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, letter to Peter Carr 10th August 1787
In a republican nation, whose citizens are to be led by reason and persuasion and not by force, the art of reasoning becomes of first importance. Thomas Jefferson
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. Thomas Jefferson
Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. Voltaire
It is only by dispelling the clouds and phantoms of religion that we shall discover truth, reason and morality. Baron d’Holbach
Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense. Baron d’Holbach, attributions inc Voltaire
If there by any among those common objects of hatred I do condemn and laugh at, it is that great enemy of reason – virtue and religion, the multitude, that numerous piece of monstrosity, which taken asunder seem men, and the reasonable creatures of God; but confused together, make but one great beast, and a monstrosity more prodigious than Hydra. Sir Thomas Browne, Religio Meidici, 1643
Men have lost their reason in nothing so much as their religion. Sir Thomas Browne
Whenever a man talks loudly against religion, – always suspect that it is not his reason, but his passions which have got the better of him. Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy
You see, Christians use Hell as a way to scare people into believing what they believe. But to believe in something just because you’re afraid of the consequences of not believing in something is no reason to believe in something. South Park
Epidemiology is also a ‘social construct’ with ‘societal causes’ etc. – but this doesn’t mean that the germ theory of disease isn’t true or that any rival ‘construct’ – like one suggesting that child rape will cure AIDS – isn’t a dangerous, deplorable, and unnecessary eruption of primeval stupidity. We either have good reasons or bad reasons for what we believe; we can be open to evidence and argument, or we can be closed; we can tolerate (and even seek) criticism of our most cherished views, or we can hide behind authority, sanctity, and dogma. The main reason why children are still raised to think that the universe is 6,000 years old is not because religion as a ‘social institution’ hasn’t been appropriately coddled and cajoled, but because polite people (and scientists terrified of losing their funding) haven’t laughed this belief off the face of the earth. Sam Harris
It is time that we admitted that faith is nothing more that the license religious people give one another to keep believing when reasons fail. Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation
Reason is nothing less than the guardian of love. Sam Harris, The End of Faith
Fictions are necessary to the people, and the Truth becomes deadly to those who are not strong enough to contemplate it all in its brilliance. In fact, what can there be in common with the vile multitude and sublime wisdom? The truth must be kept secret, and the masses need a teaching proportioned to their imperfect reason. Albert Pike, Sovereign Grand Commander, Mother Supreme Council of the World, the Supreme Council of the 33rd degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
The word belief is a difficult thing for me. I don't believe. I must have a reason for a certain hypothesis. Either I know a thing, and then I know it – I don’t need to believe it. Carl Jung
Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods. C S Lewis
If there were reason for these miseries,
Then into limits could I bind thy woes.
When heaven doth weep, doth not the earth o’erflow? William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus III i 218-220, Titus to Marcus
The will of man is by his reason swayed. William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream II ii 121, Lysander to Helena
And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays. ibid. III i 136-137
Give you a reason on compulsion! If reasons were as plentiful as blackberries I would give no man a reason upon compulsion, I. William Shakespeare, I Henry IV II iv 267
Good reasons must, of force, give place to better. William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar IV iii 202
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet balls jangled, out of tune and harsh. William Shakespeare, Hamlet III i 166
That I am ready to distrust mine eyes
And wrangle with my reason that persuades me. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night IV iii 13-14, Sebastian
The power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. If the beam of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions. But we have reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts. William Shakespeare, Othello I iii @325