Richard Dawkins

What's wrong with being elitist if you are trying to encourage people to join the elite rather than being exclusive?

I was never much bothered about moral questions like, 'How could there be a good God when there's so much evil in the world?'

Anybody who has something sensible or worthwhile to say should be able to say it calmly and soberly, relying on the words themselves to convey his meaning, without resorting to yelling.

We should take astrology seriously. No, I don't mean we should believe in it. I am talking about fighting it seriously instead of humouring it as a piece of harmless fun.

People really, really hate their religion being criticized. It's as though you've said they had an ugly face; they seem to identify personally with it.

I get the feeling more and more that religion is being left behind.

I guess the Democrats have to pretend to be more pious than the Republicans because they are under suspicion of not being.

I've never been the sort of firebrand that I've been made out to be. I'm actually quite a mild person.

Why are we so obsessed with monogamous fidelity?

I'm not a good observer. I'm not proud of it.

I do feel visceral revulsion at the burka because for me it is a symbol of the oppression of women.

We've all been brought up with the view that religion has some kind of special privileged status. You're not allowed to criticise it.