“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. ”
“Say nothing of my religion, it is known to my god and myself alone.”
“A just laicism allows religious freedom. The state does not impose religion but rather gives space to religions with a responsibility toward civil society, and therefore it allows these religions to be factors in building up society.”
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
“Religion is like a pair of shoes.....Find one that fits for you, but don’t make me wear your shoes.”
“Ultimately, America’s answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired.”
“I have observed that religious practice is not a precondition either of ethical conduct or of happiness itself. I have also suggested that, whether a person practices religion or not, the spiritual qualities of love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, humility and so on are indispensable.”
“Human rights, of course, must include the right to religious freedom, understood as the expression of a dimension that is at once individual and communitarian - a vision that brings out the unity of the person while clearly distinguishing between the dimension of the citizen and that of the believer.”
“Because Freedom is the most important thing on life, let me be.”
“Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion.”