"Religion did not exist for the saving of souls but for the preservation and welfare of society, and in all that was necessary to this end every man had to take his part, or break with the domestic and political community to which he belonged."

"Thus a man was born into a fixed relation to certain gods as surely as he was born into a relation to his fellow-men and his religion... was simply one side of the general scheme of conduct prescribed for him by his position as a member of society."

"But, strictly speaking, this mythology was no essential part of ancient religion, for it had no sacred sanction and no binding force on the worshippers."

"Even the highest forms of sacrificial worship present much that is repulsive to modern ideas, and in particular it requires an effort to reconcile our imagination to the bloody ritual which is prominent in almost every religion which has a strong sense of sin."

"The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching."

"Action and faith enslave thought, both of them in order not be troubled or inconvenienced by reflection, criticism, and doubt."

"Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith."

"My guitar was loud as hell, and I had no sympathy for anybody else."