Robert G. Ingersoll
American lawyer and orator, known as "the Great Agnostic" (1833 to 1899); author of The Ghosts, and Other Lectures.
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What they believe
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Men and women should have equal rights, and marriage should be a perfect partnership
The rights of men and women should be equal and sacred—marriage should be a perfect partnership—children should be governed by kindness,—every family should be a republic—every fireside a democracy.
gutenberg.orgSaid c. 1876–1878This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These one: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 20 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
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Men and women should have equal rights, and marriage should be a perfect partnership
The rights of men and women should be equal and sacred—marriage should be a perfect partnership—children should be governed by kindness,—every family should be a republic—every fireside a democracy.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Someone threatened with punishment for their conclusions cannot weigh evidence impartially
Whoever is held responsible for his conclusions cannot weigh the evidence with impartial scales. Fear stands at the balance, and gives to falsehood the weight of its trembling hand.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Humanity civilized religion rather than religion civilizing humanity
Religion has not civilized man—man has civilized religion. God improves as man advances.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
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Religion has been the only enemy of medical science
The science of medicine has had but one enemy—religion. Man was afraid to save his body for fear he might lose his soul.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Happiness is the one good and selfishness the one sin, and law should serve the first
There is one good—happiness. There is but one sin—selfishness. All law should be for the preservation of the one and the destruction of the other.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
A theory that is afraid of investigation does not deserve a place in the mind
A theory that is afraid of investigation is undeserving a place in the human mind.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Torture and ostracism cannot change what people conclude, only make hypocrites
You cannot change the conclusion of the brain by torture; nor by social ostracism. But I will tell you what you can do by these, and what you have done. You can make hypocrites by the million.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Give every other person every right you claim for yourself, and welcome new ideas
This is my doctrine: Give every other human being every right you claim for yourself. Keep your mind open to the influences of nature. Receive new thoughts with hospitality.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Intellectual liberty includes the right to think wrong
By physical liberty I mean the right to do anything which does not interfere with the happiness of another. By intellectual liberty I mean the right to think right and the right to think wrong.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Honest unbelief is better than pious hypocrisy
Honest unbelief, honest infidelity, honest atheism, will be a perfume in heaven when pious hypocrisy, no matter how religious it may be outwardly, will be a stench.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Women are the equals of men, with the additional right to be protected
In my judgment, the woman is the equal of the man. She has all the rights I have and one more, and that is the right to be protected.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Children have the same rights as adults and should be raised with kindness, not brutality
I tell you the children have the same rights that we have, and we ought to treat them as though they were human beings. They should be reared with love, with kindness, with tenderness, and not with brutality.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Children lie because of a parent's tyranny and their own weakness
A lie is born of tyranny upon the one hand and weakness upon the other, and when you rush at a poor little boy with a club in your hand, of course he lies.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
If God damned his children forever, hell would be preferable to his company in heaven
If there is a God who will damn his children forever, I would rather go to hell than to go to heaven and keep the society of such an infamous tyrant.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Humans most likely came up from the lower animals
I believe that man came up from, the lower animals. I do not say this as a fact. I simply say I believe it to be a fact.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Women who take the Bible as the charter of their rights will remain subject to men
As long as woman regards the bible as the charter of her rights, she will be the slave of man.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
The Declaration of Independence is the greatest political document ever signed
THE Declaration of Independence is the grandest, the bravest, and the profoundest political document that was ever signed by the representatives of a people.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
A religion that has to be supported by law is worthless
The religion that has to be supported by law is without value, not only, but a fraud and curse. The religious argument that has to be supported by a musket, is hardly worth making.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
Working your own land is better than being hired by corporations
It is a thousand times better to be a whole farmer than part of a mechanic. It is better to till the ground and work for yourself than to be hired by corporations.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
The demonetization of silver was a fraud on every honest debtor
Silver was demonetized by fraud. It was an imposition upon every solvent man; a fraud upon every honest debtor in the United States.
The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1876-1878) Said c. 1876–1878
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