"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."

"A man's religion is not to be inquired into, not even by the state itself."

"The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason."

"It [hereditary succession] appears under all the various characters of childhood, decrepitude, dotage, a thing at nurse, in leading-strings, or in crutches. It reverses the wholesome order of nature. …"

"To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to conv…"