Did - Quotes
It is not long in historical terms since Christian priests were burning people at the stake if they did not believe that wine turns to blood when a priest prays over it, and that the earth sits immovably at the universe`s centre, or [...] since they were whipping people and slitting their noses and ears for having sex outside marriage [...]. To this day adulterers are stoned to death in certain Muslim countries; if the priests were still on top in the once-Christian world, who can say it would be different?
Besides the obvious difference, there was not much distinction between losing a best friend and losing a lover: it was all about intimacy. One moment, you had someone to share your biggest triumphs and fatal flaws with; the next minute, you had to keep them bottled inside. One moment, you`d start to call her to tell her a snippet of news or to vent about your awful day before realizing you did not have that right anymore; the next, you could not remember the digits of her phone number.
If history and science have taught us anything, it is that passion and desire are not the same as truth. The human mind evolved to believe in the gods. It did not evolve to believe in biology. Acceptance of the supernatural conveyed a great advantage throughout prehistory, when the brain was evolving. Thus it is in sharp contrast to biology, which was developed as a product of the modern age and is not underwritten by genetic algorithms. The uncomfortable truth is that the two beliefs are not factually compatible. As a result those who hunger for both intellectual and religious truth will never acquire both in full measure.
We`ve all had experiences where we were working on something and we knew it was possible and we did those things that were necessary to bring it into reality, we took the responsibility to make it happen. Other people couldn`t see it, lot of people didn`t believe it. You were talked down, you were criticized, people were opposing you but you kept on doing it. It was hard, it was rough, it was difficult but to you it was worth it. And eventually you got to a level you know ain`t nothing can stop me know. I`m on the move. I`m on the move.
Scientists do not join hands every Sunday and sing "Yes gravity is real! I know gravity is real! I will have faith! I believe in my heart that what goes up, up, up must come down, down, down. Amen!" If they did, we would think they were pretty insecure about the concept.
In view of the fact that God limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair that he did not also limit his stupidity.
If the sweetness of our lives did not depart, there would be no sweetness at all.
I have no regrets. I wouldn`t have lived my life the way I did if I was going to worry about what people were going to say.
It takes less time to do a thing right than it does to explain why you did it wrong.
The gods did not reveal all things to men at the start; but as time goes on, by searching, they discover more and more.
In the mountains, we see a valley covered by a sea of white clouds. The surface of the clouds gleams, immaculate. We start to walk toward the valley. The air becomes more humid, then less clear; the sky is no longer blue. We find ourselves in a fog. Where did the well-defined surface of the clouds go? It vanished. Its disappearance is gradual; there is no surface that separates the fog from the sparse air of the heights. Was it an illusion? No, it was a view from afar. Come to think of it, it`s like this with all surfaces. This dense marble table would look like a fog if I were shrunk to a small enough, atomic scale. Everything in the world becomes blurred when seen close up. Where exactly does the mountain end and where do the plains begin? Where does the savannah begin and the desert end? We cut the world into large slices. We think of it in terms of concepts that are meaningful for us, that emerge at a certain scale.
What I want, more than anything, is to reach the end of my life with a solid before-and-after picture to reflect back on. To show I did the absolute best that I could with what I was given and that my life was well-lived.
Technology doesn't solve every problem of its own accord. If it did, we wouldn't have millions of people starving to death in a world with an oversupply of food.
Did perpetual happiness in the Garden of Eden maybe get so boring that eating the apple was justified?
One of the big reliefs for the atheist is not having to worry about what to hope, wish, and pray for. Did I want to pray for my mother`s suffering to end? Did I want to hope for her death? I didn`t have to worry about that. I could hope one day that she`d live longer so I could talk to her, and wish the next day that she would die and not have to suffer her paralysis and physical loss any longer. My wishing and hoping were inert; I could let them run wild. I could use them as pure solace.