“Does religious conviction provide a powerful reason for killing? Undeniably it often does. It also often provides the sole compelling reason for refusing to kill, or for being merciful, or for seeking peace; only the profoundest ignorance of history could prevent one from recognizing this. For the truth is that religion and irreligion are cultural variables, but killing is a human constant.”

“Hope was an instinct only the reasoning human mind could kill. An animal never knew despair.”

“It is hard to provide proof of love. And yet love undeniably does exist. It is only that humans fail to recognize it when and where it does.Unbeknownst to me at the time, the world was overflowing in love...and now I live at last in the midst of that flow...”

“It wouldn't kill you to get me an iced coffee.""No, but not getting killed doing something is not a very compelling reason to do it.”

“The reasoning is classic in its clarity. If God does not exist, Kirilov is god. If God does not exist, Kirilov must kill himself. Kirilov must therefore kill himself to become god. That logic is absurd, but it is what is needed.”

“The most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." Margaret Sanger”