Christopher Hitchens

“Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it.”

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

“To be in opposition is not to be a nihilist.”

“Cheap booze is a false economy.”

“Irony is the hygiene of the mind.”

“One must state it plainly. Religion comes from the period of human prehistory where nobody had the smallest idea what was going on.”

“Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way.”

“We have the bill of rights. What we need is a bill of responsibilities.”

“The one unforgivable sin is to be boring.”

“Religion is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree on what their prophets or redeemers or gurus actually said or did.”

“What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.”

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”

“My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, any place, any time.”

“Everybody does have a book in them, but in most cases that's where it should stay.”

“The four most overrated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics.”

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God.”

“Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the 'transcendent' and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself.”

“Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. The grave will supply plenty of time for silence.”