Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it. - Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

"[E]xceptional claims demand exceptional evidence."

"it is interesting to find that people of faith now seek defensively to say that they are no worse than fascists or Nazis or Stalinists"

"Why do humans exist? A major part of the answer: because Pikaia Gracilens survived the Burgess decimation."

"Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely soley upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake."

"Why do humans exist? A major part of the answer: because Pikaia Gracilens survived the Burgess decimation."