The believer in magic and miracles reflects on how to impose a law on nature—and, in brief, the religious cult is the outcome of this reflection.

Nothing is so easy to fake as the inner vision.

Have you ever, looking up, seen a cloud like to a centaur, a leopard, a wolf, or a bull?

Men willingly believe what they wish.

Any serious attempt to do anything worthwhile is ritualistic.

One thing alone not even God can do: to make undone whatever has been done.

Superstitions are habits rather than beliefs.

The Mughal’s nature is such that they demand miracles, but if a miracle were to be performed by some upright follower of our religion, they would say that it had been brought about by magic and sorcery. They would strike him down with spears or would stone him to death.

Nothing from nothing ever yet was born.

Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.

Nothing worth knowing can be understood with the mind.

There is nothing that man fears more than the touch of the unknown. He wants to see what is reaching toward him and to be able to recognize or at least classify it. Man always tends to avoid physical contact with anything strange.

Appearances often are deceiving.