Richard Dawkins

“The Bible should be taught, but emphatically not as reality. It is fiction, myth, poetry, anything but reality. As such it needs to be taught because it underlies so much of our literature and our culture.”

“I love romantic poetry.”

“Religion is about turning untested belief into unshakable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time.”

“I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.”

“It would be intolerant if I advocated the banning of religion, but of course I never have.”

“There may be fairies at the bottom of the garden. There is no evidence for it, but you can't prove that there aren't any, so shouldn't we be agnostic with respect to fairies?”

“Isn't it sad to go to your grave without ever wondering why you were born? Who, with such a thought, would not spring from bed, eager to resume discovering the world and rejoicing to be part of it?”

“It has become almost a cliche to remark that nobody boasts of ignorance of literature, but it is socially acceptable to boast ignorance of science and proudly claim incompetence in mathematics.”

“I am one of those scientists who feels that it is no longer enough just to get on and do science. We have to devote a significant proportion of our time and resources to defending it from deliberate attack from organised ignorance.”

“The enlightenment is under threat. So is reason. So is truth. So is science, especially in the schools of America.”

“Of course in science there are things that are open to doubt and things need to be discussed. But among the things that science does know, evolution is about as certain as anything we know.”

“I suppose if you look back to your early childhood you accept everything people tell you, and that includes a heavy dose of irrationality - you're told about tooth fairies and Father Christmas and things.”

“Personally, I rather look forward to a computer program winning the world chess championship. Humanity needs a lesson in humility.”