We are a fluke of nature, a quirk of evolution, a glorious contingency.

Science is not a thing. It's a verb. It's a way of thinking about things. It's a way of looking for natural explanations for all phenomena.

The recent medical controversy over whether vaccinations cause autism reveals a habit of human cognition — thinking anecdotally comes naturally, whereas thinking scientifically does not.

Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons.

I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know. How can we tell the difference between what we would like to be true and what is actually true? The answer is science.

Religious faith depends on a host of social, psychological and emotional factors that have little or nothing to do with probabilities, evidence and logic.

Humans are, by nature, pattern-seeking, storytelling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns whether they exist or not.

But the power of science lies in open publication, which, with the rise of the Internet, is no longer constrained by the price of paper.

I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.

In comparison, Google is brilliant because it uses an algorithm that ranks Web pages by the number of links to them, with those links themselves valued by the number of links to their page of origin.

Either the soul survives death or it does not, and there is no scientific evidence that it does.

If you believe in your dream with all your heart, you can achieve it.

America, the plum blossoms are falling.

History and experience tell us that moral progress comes not in comfortable and complacent times, but out of trial and confusion.

Disco deserved a better name, a beautiful name because it was a beautiful art form. It made the consumer beautiful. The consumer was the star.

We’re partial to putting out large amounts of money where we won’t have to make another decision.

The more confidence I have in each one of my stock picks, the fewer companies I need to own in my portfolio to feel comfortable.

I was a Georgia state legislator for a great many years

In this world, you get what you pay for.

You will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it.

deep in the meadow , under the willow , a bed of grass , a soft green pillow