“Truth, though, is nothing in the face of self-falsehood, and principles are of no value if the idealist cannot live up to his own standards.”

“Principles are the territory. Values are maps. When we value correct principles, we have truth -- a knowledge of things as they are.”

“Truth at last cannot be hidden. Dissimulation is of no avail. Dissimulation is to no purpose before so great a judge. Falsehood puts on a mask. Nothing is hidden under the sun.”

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”

“The belief in a god is irrational, and once this leap of faith is made it only takes short steps to abandon the standards of rationality and lose the ability to distinguish truth from falsehoods.”

“If a mistake is made the honorable thing to do is to own up to it.' Of course I was talking about Levi owning up to his mistakes. But as I finish this book, I realize it applies equally to myself, and to all of us as we try but fail to live up to the standards we know are right. Our inability and unwillingness to keep the standards don't make the standards any less valuable and good.”