Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

"Science is a way to call the bluff of those who only pretend to knowledge. It is a bulwark against mysticism, against superstition, against religion misapplied to where it has no business being."

"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."