Quotes
My curated set of Ingersoll's most enduring lines. Each lives at its own permalink page, ready to share, with a link to the work it came from and the year it was first delivered.
Open a quote on its own page to share it, copy the citation, or send it elsewhere. Or run them all in sequence — full-screen, one every ten seconds.
-
“An honest God is the noblest work of man.”
-
“Give me the storm and tempest of thought and action, rather than the dead calm of ignorance and faith.”
-
“The hands that help are better far than lips that pray.”
-
“In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments — there are consequences.”
-
“The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.”
-
“Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.”
-
“The notion that faith in Christ is to be rewarded by an eternity of bliss, while a dependence upon reason, observation, and experience merits everlasting pain, is too absurd for refutation.”
-
“Reason, observation, and experience, the holy trinity of science.”
-
“Few rich men own their property; the property owns them.”
-
“Heretics are the savers of liberty.”
-
“Colleges are places where pebbles are polished and diamonds are dimmed.”
-
“If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would strictly follow the teachings of the New, he would be insane.”
-
“Surely there is grandeur in knowing that in the realm of thought, at least, you are without a chain; that you have the right to explore all heights and all depths.”
-
“It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.”
-
“Every creed is a rock in running water; humanity sweeps by it.”
-
“Love is the only bow on life's dark cloud. It is the morning and the evening star. It shines upon the babe, and sheds its radiance on the quiet tomb. It is the mother of art, inspirer of poet, patriot and philosopher.”
-
“Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will not investigate, and if you think it wrong, the church will investigate you.”
-
“Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.”
-
“Justice is the only worship. Love is the only priest. Ignorance is the only slavery. Happiness is the only good.”
-
“Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud — and the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry.”