"Our modern society is engaged in polishing and decorating the cage in which man is kept imprisoned."

"I believe that at every level of society - familial, tribal, national and international - the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology.

"Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers."

"In these times you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you awake in the morning."

"Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty; what is the matter with the rich is Uselessness."

"Punishment is now unfashionable... because it creates moral distinctions among men, which, to the democratic mind, are odious. We prefer a meaningless collective guilt to a meaningful individual responsibility."

"How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?"

"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?"

"Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic."

"One of the definitions of sanity is the ability to tell real from unreal. Soon we'll need a new definition."