The doctrine which, from the very first origin of religious dissensions, has been held by bigots of all sects, when condensed into a few words and stripped of rhetorical disguise, is simply this: I am in the right, and you are in the wrong. When you are the stronger, you ought to tolerate me; for it is your duty to tolerate truth. But when I am the stronger I shall persecute you; for it is my duty to persecute error.
The Church is the handmaid of tyranny and the steady enemy of liberty.
Logicians may reason about abstractions. But the great mass of men must have images. The strong tendency of the multitude in all ages and nations to idolatry can be explained on no other principle.
With respect to the doctrine of a future life, a North American Indian knows just as much as any ancient or modern philosopher.
She thoroughly understands what no other Church has ever understood, how to deal with enthusiasts.
