“Like all trial attorneys, he knew the importance of not dressing too well.”

“Sometimes I think everyone's an attorney.”

“You know, at times like this one feels, well, perhaps extinct animals should be left extinct.”

“Raising children is, in a sense, the reason the society exists in the first place. It's the most important thing that happens, and it's the culmination of all the tools and language and social structure that has evolved.”

“What makes you think human beings are sentient and aware? There's no evidence for it. Human beings never think for themselves, they find it too uncomfortable. For the most part, members of our species simply repeat what they are told-and become upset if they are exposed to any different view. The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.' The reason is that beliefs guide behavior which has evolutionary importance among human beings. But at a time when our behavior may well lead us to extinction, I see no reason to assume we have any awareness at all. We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion. Next question.”

“This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right.”

“When you have a strongly held belief, don't you think it's important to express that belief accurately?”