Robert Green Ingersoll Quotes

When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death - that is heroism.

The truth is that nearly everybody is right about some things and wrong about most things; and if a man's testimony is not to be taken until he is right on every subject, witnesses will be extremely scarce.

It is hard to conceive of the utter demoralization, of the political blindness and immorality, of the patriotic dishonesty, of the cruelty and degradation of a people who supplemented the incomparable Declaration of Independence with the Fugitive Slave Law.

Courage without conscience is a wild beast.

Hope is the only universal liar who never loses hi... -Robert Green Ingersoll

Hope is the only universal liar who never loses his reputation for veracity.

Discovering the context

The quote playfully characterizes hope as a persistent deceiver or illusionist that retains its reputation for truthfulness despite often leading to unfulfilled expectations. It reflects on the paradoxical nature of hope, simultaneously acknowledging its illusory qualities and enduring allure.

Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mi... -Robert Green Ingersoll

Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.

The more liberty you give away the more you will h... -Robert Green Ingersoll

The more liberty you give away the more you will have.

He who refuses to stoop, who cannot be bribed by the promise of success or the fear of failure - who walks the highway of the right, and in disaster stands erect, is the only victor.

Our government should be entirely and purely secular. The religious views of a candidate should be kept entirely out of sight.

It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.

I would rather live and love where death is king t... -Robert Green Ingersoll

I would rather live and love where death is king than have eternal life where love is not.

Character is made of duty and love and sympathy, a... -Robert Green Ingersoll

Character is made of duty and love and sympathy, and, above all, of living and working for others.

What light is to the eyes - what air is to the lungs - what love is to the heart, liberty is to the soul of man.

Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence. S... -Robert Green Ingersoll

Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment - it is a result.

Religion can never reform mankind because religion... -Robert Green Ingersoll

Religion can never reform mankind because religion is slavery.

If I owe Smith ten dollars and God forgives me, th... -Robert Green Ingersoll

If I owe Smith ten dollars and God forgives me, that doesn't pay Smith.

A prayer that must have a cannon behind it better never be uttered. Forgiveness ought not to go in partnership with shot and shell. Love need not carry knives and revolvers.

Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trin... -Robert Green Ingersoll

Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.

The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.

I am the inferior of any man whose rights I trampl... -Robert Green Ingersoll

I am the inferior of any man whose rights I trample under foot.

Discovering the context

This quote expresses a sense of moral responsibility and humility. It suggests that the speaker acknowledges their inferiority to any individual whose rights they disregard or infringe upon. It emphasizes the importance of respecting and upholding the rights of others.