I’m an atheist and I thank God for it.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
No one can be an unbeliever nowadays. The Christian Apologists have left one nothing to disbelieve.
—Saki (Hector Hugh Munro) (1870–1916) British Short Story Writer, Satirist, Historian
The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
—Richard Dawkins (b.1941) British Evolutionary Biologist, Atheist
An atheist is a man who believes himself an accident.
—Francis Thompson (1859–1907) English Poet, Ascetic
Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.
—Robert A. Heinlein (1907–88) American Science Fiction Writer
I’m not an athiest. How can you not believe in something that doesn’t exist? That’s way too convoluted for me.
—A. Whitney Brown (b.1952) American Comedian, TV Personality
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
—George Carlin (1937–2008) American Stand-up Comedian
Nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist that there is no God.
—Heywood Hale Broun (1918–2001) American Journalist, Commentator, Actor
Now we have no God. We have had two: the old God that our fathers handed down to us, that we hated, and never liked; the new one that we made for ourselves, that we loved; but now he has flitted away from us, and we see what he was made of—the shadow of our highest ideal, crowned and throned. Now we have no God.
—Olive Schreiner (1855–1920) South African Writer, Feminist
Atheism is rather in the life than in the heart of man.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Forth from his dark and lonely hiding-place, (Portentous sight!) the owlet Atheism, sailing on obscene wings athwart the noon, drops his blue-fringed lids, and holds them close, and hooting at the glorious sun in Heaven, cries out, “Where is it?”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) English Poet, Literary Critic, Philosopher
I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.
—Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) American Architect
Atheism is the death of hope, the suicide of the soul.
—Hugh Miller (1802–56) Scottish Geologist, Writer
Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?
—Douglas Adams (1952–2001) English Novelist, Scriptwriter
If I were not an atheist, I would believe in a God who would choose to save people on the basis of the totality of their lives and not the pattern of their words. I think he would prefer an honest and righteous atheist to a TV preacher whose every word is God, God, God, and whose every deed is foul, foul, foul.
—Isaac Asimov (1920–92) Russian-born American Writer, Scientist
My atheism, like that of Spinoza, is true piety towards the universe and denies only gods fashioned by men in their own image to be servants of their human interests.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
He was an embittered atheist (the sort of atheist who does not so much disbelieve in God as personally dislike Him).
—George Orwell (1903–50) English Novelist, Journalist
I had rather believe all the Fables in the Legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a Mind.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
—Isaac Asimov (1920–92) Russian-born American Writer, Scientist
I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.
—George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) American Republican Statesman, 41st President
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
—Epicurus (c.341–270 BCE) Greek Philosopher
After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
God never wrought miracles to convince atheism, because His ordinary works convince it.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
An atheist is a person who has no visible means of support
—Unknown
If you don’t believe in God, all you have to believe in is decency. Decency is very good. Better decent than indecent. But I don’t think it’s enough.
—Harold Macmillan (1894–1986) British Head of State
Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
—Steven Weinberg (1933–2021) American Physicist
He must pull out his own eyes, and see no creature, before he can say, he sees no God; He must be no man, and quench his reasonable soul, before he can say to himself, there is no God.
—John Donne (1572–1631) English Poet, Cleric
And as for the unbelievers, their works are as a mirage in a spacious plain which the man athirst supposes to be water, till when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing; there indeed he finds God, and He pays him his account in full; (and God is swift at the reckoning).
—The Holy Quran Sacred Scripture of Islam
Atheists put on a false courage in the midst of their darkness and misapprehensions, like children who when they fear to go in the dark, will sing or whistle to keep up their courage.
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744) English Poet
There are few people so stubborn in their atheism who when danger is pressing in will not acknowledge the divine power.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
There are innumerable souls that would resent the charge of the fool’s atheism, yet daily deny God in very deed.
—John Foster Dulles (1888–1959) American Republican Public Official, Lawyer
An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support.
—John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (1875–1940) Scottish Novelist, Politician, Diplomat
An atheist is a man who watches a Notre Dame—Southern Methodist University game and doesn’t care who wins.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American Head of State, Military Leader
There is no such thing as a man being too proud to fight; there is such a thing as a nation being so right that it does not need to convince others by force that it is right.
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) American Head of State
Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
We shall say without hesitation that the atheist who is moved by love is moved by the Spirit of God; an atheist who lives by love is saved by his faith in the God whose existence (under that name) he denies.
—William Temple (1881–1944) British Clergyman, Theologian
To believe in God is impossible – to not believe in Him is absurd
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
Selfishness is the only real atheism; unselfishness the only real religion.
—Israel Zangwill (1864–1926) English Playwright, Novelist, Zionist Activist
Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation, all which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, though religion were not; but superstition dismounts all these, and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men…the master of superstition is the people; and arguments are fitted to practice, in a reverse order
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
Atheism deprives superstition of its stand ground, and compels Theism to reason for its existence.
—George Holyoake (1817–1906) English Social Reformer, Freethinker
When ever a person talks loudly against religion, always suspect that it is not their reason, but their passions, which have got the better of their beliefs. A bad life and a good belief are disagreeable and troublesome neighbors; and when they separate, depend on it that it is for the sake of peace and quiet.
—Laurence Sterne (1713–68) Irish Anglican Novelist, Clergyman
A little philosophy inclineth men’s minds to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds to religion; for while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no further.—But when it beholdeth the chain of them, confederate and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer.
—Anonymous
Atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of understanding.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
People will then often say, “But surely it’s better to remain an Agnostic just in case?” This, to me, suggests such a level of silliness and muddle that I usually edge out of the conversation rather than get sucked into it. (If it turns out that I’ve been wrong all along, and there is in fact a god, and if it further turned out that this kind of legalistic, cross-your-fingers-behind-your-back, Clintonian hair-splitting impressed him, then I think I would choose not to worship him anyway.)
—Douglas Adams (1952–2001) English Novelist, Scriptwriter
Why should I allow that same God to tell me how to raise my kids, who had to drown His own?
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
An atheist is a man who looks through a telescope and tries to explain all that he can’t see.
—Unknown
Faith, and belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1913) American Short-story Writer, Journalist
If therefore my work is negative, irreligious, atheistic, let it be remembered that atheism—at least in the sense of this work—is the secret of religion itself; that religion itself, not indeed on the surface, but fundamentally, not in intention or according to its own supposition, but in its heart, in its essence, believes in nothing else than the truth and divinity of human nature.
—Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–72) German Materialist Philosopher