Quotes by Samuel Butler

From a worldly point of view, there is no mistake so great as that of being always right.

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.

Theist and atheist: the fight between them is as to whether God shall be called God or shall have some other name.

God and the Devil are an effort after specialization and the division of labor.

Let every man be true and every god a liar.

And so there is no God but has been in the loins of past gods.

If God wants us to do a thing, he should make his wishes sufficiently clear. Sensible people will wait till he has done this before paying much attention to him.

To know God better is only to realize how impossible it is that we should ever know him at all. I know not which is more childish to deny him, or define him.

God as now generally conceived of is only the last witch.

He has spent his life best who has enjoyed it most. God will take care that we do not enjoy it any more than is good for us.