Nothing worth knowing can be understood with the mind.

To ensure the adoration of a theorem for any length of time, faith is not enough; a police force is needed as well.

In the society of men, the truth resides now less in what things are than in what they are not. Our social realities are so ugly if seen in the light of exiled truth, and beauty is almost no longer possible if it is not a lie.

Egypt was the mother of magicians.

Nothing from nothing ever yet was born.

Once something becomes discernible, or understandable, we no longer need to repeat it. We can destroy it.

The Mughal’s nature is such that they demand miracles, but if a miracle were to be performed by some upright follower of our religion, they would say that it had been brought about by magic and sorcery. They would strike him down with spears or would stone him to death.

The believer in magic and miracles reflects on how to impose a law on nature—and, in brief, the religious cult is the outcome of this reflection.

Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.

Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear.

Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one’s bath like a lump of sugar.

There is not so contemptible a plant or animal that does not confound the most enlarged understanding.

Men willingly believe what they wish.