Richard Dawkins Quotes And Sayings

Clinton Richard Dawkins FRS FRSL is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was the University of Oxford’s Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 until 2008. Dawkins is an atheist, and is well known for his criticism of creationism and intelligent design. Dawkins has been awarded many prestigious academic and writing awards and he makes regular television, radio and Internet appearances, predominantly discussing his books, his atheism, and his ideas and opinions as a public intellectual.  

Faith Is The Great Cop-out, The Great Excuse To Evade The Need To Think And Evaluate Evidence. Faith Is Belief In Spite Of, Even Perhaps Because Of, The Lack Of Evidence.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (10) - Faith Is The Great Cop-out, The Gre... - QuotesFaith Is The Great Cop-out, The Great Excuse To Evade The Need To Think And Evaluate Evidence. Faith Is Belief In Spite Of, Even Perhaps Because Of, The Lack Of Evidence.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (10) - Faith Is The Great Cop-out, The Gre... - Quotes

Even If 'Going Retrograde' Or 'Moving Into Aquarius' Were Real Phenomena, Something That Planets Actually Do, What Influence Could They Possibly Have On Human Events? A Planet Is So Far Away That Its Gravitational Pull On A New-born Baby Would Be Swamped By The Gravitational Pull Of The Doctor's Paunch.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (100) - Even If 'Going Retrograde' Or 'Mov... - QuotesEven If 'Going Retrograde' Or 'Moving Into Aquarius' Were Real Phenomena, Something That Planets Actually Do, What Influence Could They Possibly Have On Human Events? A Planet Is So Far Away That Its Gravitational Pull On A New-born Baby Would Be Swamped By The Gravitational Pull Of The Doctor's Paunch.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (100) - Even If 'Going Retrograde' Or 'Mov... - Quotes

The Reason We Personify Things Like Cars And Computers Is That Just As Monkeys Live In An Arboreal World And Moles Live In An Underground World And Water Striders Live In A Surface Tension-dominated Flatland, We Live In A Social World.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (102) - The Reason We Personify Things Lik... - QuotesThe Reason We Personify Things Like Cars And Computers Is That Just As Monkeys Live In An Arboreal World And Moles Live In An Underground World And Water Striders Live In A Surface Tension-dominated Flatland, We Live In A Social World.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (102) - The Reason We Personify Things Lik... - Quotes

I Am Against Religion Because It Teaches Us To Be Satisfied With Not Understanding The World.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (1) - I Am Against Religion Because It Tea... - QuotesI Am Against Religion Because It Teaches Us To Be Satisfied With Not Understanding The World.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (1) - I Am Against Religion Because It Tea... - Quotes

Science Has Taught Us, Against All Intuition, That Apparently Solid Things Like Crystals And Rocks Are Really Almost Entirely Composed Of Empty Space. And The Familiar Illustration Is The Nucleus Of An Atom Is A Fly In The Middle Of A Sports Stadium, And The Next Atom Is In The Next Sports Stadium.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (101) - Science Has Taught Us, Against All... - QuotesScience Has Taught Us, Against All Intuition, That Apparently Solid Things Like Crystals And Rocks Are Really Almost Entirely Composed Of Empty Space. And The Familiar Illustration Is The Nucleus Of An Atom Is A Fly In The Middle Of A Sports Stadium, And The Next Atom Is In The Next Sports Stadium.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (101) - Science Has Taught Us, Against All... - Quotes

Do You Advocate The Ten Commandments As A Guide To The Good Life? Then I Can Only Presume That You Don't Know The Ten Commandments.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (104) - Do You Advocate The Ten Commandmen... - QuotesDo You Advocate The Ten Commandments As A Guide To The Good Life? Then I Can Only Presume That You Don't Know The Ten Commandments.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (104) - Do You Advocate The Ten Commandmen... - Quotes

Every Night Of Our Lives, We Dream, And Our Brain Concocts Visions Which Are, At Least Until We Wake Up, Highly Convincing. Most Of Us Have Had Experiences Which Are Verging On Hallucination. It Shows The Power Of The Brain To Knock Up Illusions.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (103) - Every Night Of Our Lives, We Dream... - QuotesEvery Night Of Our Lives, We Dream, And Our Brain Concocts Visions Which Are, At Least Until We Wake Up, Highly Convincing. Most Of Us Have Had Experiences Which Are Verging On Hallucination. It Shows The Power Of The Brain To Knock Up Illusions.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (103) - Every Night Of Our Lives, We Dream... - Quotes

In The Case Of Stalinism, People Actually Distorted Science Because It Was For The Good Of The Communist Party.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (107) - In The Case Of Stalinism, People A... - QuotesIn The Case Of Stalinism, People Actually Distorted Science Because It Was For The Good Of The Communist Party.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (107) - In The Case Of Stalinism, People A... - Quotes

The Central Dogma Of The New Testament Is That Jesus Died As A Scapegoat For The Sin Of Adam And The Sins That All We Unborn Generations Might Have Been Contemplating In The Future. Adam's Sin Is Perhaps Mitigated By The Extenuating Circumstance That He Didn't Exist.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (105) - The Central Dogma Of The New Testa... - QuotesThe Central Dogma Of The New Testament Is That Jesus Died As A Scapegoat For The Sin Of Adam And The Sins That All We Unborn Generations Might Have Been Contemplating In The Future. Adam's Sin Is Perhaps Mitigated By The Extenuating Circumstance That He Didn't Exist.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (105) - The Central Dogma Of The New Testa... - Quotes

I'm Fascinated By The Idea That Genetics Is Digital. A Gene Is A Long Sequence Of Coded Letters, Like Computer Information. Modern Biology Is Becoming Very Much A Branch Of Information Technology.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (106) - I'm Fascinated By The Idea That Ge... - QuotesI'm Fascinated By The Idea That Genetics Is Digital. A Gene Is A Long Sequence Of Coded Letters, Like Computer Information. Modern Biology Is Becoming Very Much A Branch Of Information Technology.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (106) - I'm Fascinated By The Idea That Ge... - Quotes

Christopher Hitchens Was A Writer And An Orator With A Matchless Style, Commanding A Vocabulary And A Range Of Literary And Historical Allusion Far Wider Than Anybody I Know.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (108) - Christopher Hitchens Was A Writer ... - QuotesChristopher Hitchens Was A Writer And An Orator With A Matchless Style, Commanding A Vocabulary And A Range Of Literary And Historical Allusion Far Wider Than Anybody I Know.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (108) - Christopher Hitchens Was A Writer ... - Quotes

Personally, I Rather Look Forward To A Computer Program Winning The World Chess Championship. Humanity Needs A Lesson In Humility.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (110) - Personally, I Rather Look Forward ... - QuotesPersonally, I Rather Look Forward To A Computer Program Winning The World Chess Championship. Humanity Needs A Lesson In Humility.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (110) - Personally, I Rather Look Forward ... - Quotes

Discrimination Is Not Liberal. Arguing Against Discrimination Is Not Intolerance.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (109) - Discrimination Is Not Liberal. Arg... - QuotesDiscrimination Is Not Liberal. Arguing Against Discrimination Is Not Intolerance.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (109) - Discrimination Is Not Liberal. Arg... - Quotes

What Has 'Theology' Ever Said That Is Of The Smallest Use To Anybody? When Has 'Theology' Ever Said Anything That Is Demonstrably True And Is Not Obvious? What Makes You Think That 'Theology' Is A Subject At All?

Richard Dawkins Quotes (111) - What Has 'Theology' Ever Said That... - QuotesWhat Has 'Theology' Ever Said That Is Of The Smallest Use To Anybody? When Has 'Theology' Ever Said Anything That Is Demonstrably True And Is Not Obvious? What Makes You Think That 'Theology' Is A Subject At All?

Richard Dawkins Quotes (111) - What Has 'Theology' Ever Said That... - Quotes

By All Means Let's Be Open-minded, But Not So Open-minded That Our Brains Drop Out.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (11) - By All Means Let's Be Open-minded, ... - QuotesBy All Means Let's Be Open-minded, But Not So Open-minded That Our Brains Drop Out.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (11) - By All Means Let's Be Open-minded, ... - Quotes

Natural Selection Is Anything But Random.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (115) - Natural Selection Is Anything But ... - QuotesNatural Selection Is Anything But Random.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (115) - Natural Selection Is Anything But ... - Quotes

The Fact That Life Evolved Out Of Nearly Nothing, Some 10 Billion Years After The Universe Evolved Out Of Literally Nothing, Is A Fact So Staggering That I Would Be Mad To Attempt Words To Do It Justice.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (112) - The Fact That Life Evolved Out Of ... - QuotesThe Fact That Life Evolved Out Of Nearly Nothing, Some 10 Billion Years After The Universe Evolved Out Of Literally Nothing, Is A Fact So Staggering That I Would Be Mad To Attempt Words To Do It Justice.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (112) - The Fact That Life Evolved Out Of ... - Quotes

God Exists, If Only In The Form Of A Meme With High Survival Value, Or Infective Power, In The Environment Provided By Human Culture.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (114) - God Exists, If Only In The Form Of... - QuotesGod Exists, If Only In The Form Of A Meme With High Survival Value, Or Infective Power, In The Environment Provided By Human Culture.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (114) - God Exists, If Only In The Form Of... - Quotes

Today The Theory Of Evolution Is About As Much Open To Doubt As The Theory That The Earth Goes Round The Sun.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (113) - Today The Theory Of Evolution Is A... - QuotesToday The Theory Of Evolution Is About As Much Open To Doubt As The Theory That The Earth Goes Round The Sun.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (113) - Today The Theory Of Evolution Is A... - Quotes

The Enlightenment Is Under Threat. So Is Reason. So Is Truth. So Is Science, Especially In The Schools Of America.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (116) - The Enlightenment Is Under Threat.... - QuotesThe Enlightenment Is Under Threat. So Is Reason. So Is Truth. So Is Science, Especially In The Schools Of America.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (116) - The Enlightenment Is Under Threat.... - Quotes

We Admit That We Are Like Apes, But We Seldom Realise That We Are Apes.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (118) - We Admit That We Are Like Apes, Bu... - QuotesWe Admit That We Are Like Apes, But We Seldom Realise That We Are Apes.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (118) - We Admit That We Are Like Apes, Bu... - Quotes

It's A Difficult Business, Finding Out What's True About The World, The Universe.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (119) - It's A Difficult Business, Finding... - QuotesIt's A Difficult Business, Finding Out What's True About The World, The Universe.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (119) - It's A Difficult Business, Finding... - Quotes

Let Us Try To Teach Generosity And Altruism, Because We Are Born Selfish.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (12) - Let Us Try To Teach Generosity And ... - QuotesLet Us Try To Teach Generosity And Altruism, Because We Are Born Selfish.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (12) - Let Us Try To Teach Generosity And ... - Quotes

How Can You Take Seriously Someone Who Likes To Believe Something Because He Finds It 'Comforting'?

Richard Dawkins Quotes (117) - How Can You Take Seriously Someone... - QuotesHow Can You Take Seriously Someone Who Likes To Believe Something Because He Finds It 'Comforting'?

Richard Dawkins Quotes (117) - How Can You Take Seriously Someone... - Quotes

All The Great Religions Have A Place For Awe, For Ecstatic Transport At The Wonder And Beauty Of Creation.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (120) - All The Great Religions Have A Pla... - QuotesAll The Great Religions Have A Place For Awe, For Ecstatic Transport At The Wonder And Beauty Of Creation.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (120) - All The Great Religions Have A Pla... - Quotes

You Can't Imagine How Gratifying It Is To Have A Reader Come Up To You And Say, 'You Changed My Life.'

Richard Dawkins Quotes (122) - You Can't Imagine How Gratifying I... - QuotesYou Can't Imagine How Gratifying It Is To Have A Reader Come Up To You And Say, 'You Changed My Life.'

Richard Dawkins Quotes (122) - You Can't Imagine How Gratifying I... - Quotes

A Good Theory Explains A Lot But Postulates Little.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (123) - A Good Theory Explains A Lot But P... - QuotesA Good Theory Explains A Lot But Postulates Little.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (123) - A Good Theory Explains A Lot But P... - Quotes

To Fill A World With Religion, Or Religions Of The Abrahamic Kind, Is Like Littering The Streets With Loaded Guns. Do Not Be Surprised If They Are Used.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (121) - To Fill A World With Religion, Or ... - QuotesTo Fill A World With Religion, Or Religions Of The Abrahamic Kind, Is Like Littering The Streets With Loaded Guns. Do Not Be Surprised If They Are Used.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (121) - To Fill A World With Religion, Or ... - Quotes

If You Think About It, 534 Members Of The U.s. Congress Cannot All Be Religious. That's Just Statistical Nonsense. Many Of Them Are Quite Well-educated.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (124) - If You Think About It, 534 Members... - QuotesIf You Think About It, 534 Members Of The U.s. Congress Cannot All Be Religious. That's Just Statistical Nonsense. Many Of Them Are Quite Well-educated.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (124) - If You Think About It, 534 Members... - Quotes

How Any Government Could Promote The Vardy Academies In The North-east Of England Is Absolutely Beyond Me. Tony Blair Defends Them On Grounds Of Diversity, But It Should Be Unthinkable In The 21st Century To Have A School Whose Head Of Science Believes The World Is Less Than 10,000 Years Old.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (125) - How Any Government Could Promote T... - QuotesHow Any Government Could Promote The Vardy Academies In The North-east Of England Is Absolutely Beyond Me. Tony Blair Defends Them On Grounds Of Diversity, But It Should Be Unthinkable In The 21st Century To Have A School Whose Head Of Science Believes The World Is Less Than 10,000 Years Old.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (125) - How Any Government Could Promote T... - Quotes

Publishers Like A Good Buzz, And Negative Responses Sell Books Just As Well As Positive Ones.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (128) - Publishers Like A Good Buzz, And N... - QuotesPublishers Like A Good Buzz, And Negative Responses Sell Books Just As Well As Positive Ones.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (128) - Publishers Like A Good Buzz, And N... - Quotes

To An Honest Judge, The Alleged Marriage Between Religion And Science Is A Shallow, Empty, Spin-doctored Sham.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (129) - To An Honest Judge, The Alleged Ma... - QuotesTo An Honest Judge, The Alleged Marriage Between Religion And Science Is A Shallow, Empty, Spin-doctored Sham.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (129) - To An Honest Judge, The Alleged Ma... - Quotes

People Believe The Only Alternative To Randomness Is Intelligent Design.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (127) - People Believe The Only Alternativ... - QuotesPeople Believe The Only Alternative To Randomness Is Intelligent Design.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (127) - People Believe The Only Alternativ... - Quotes

One Of The Things That Is Wrong With Religion Is That It Teaches Us To Be Satisfied With Answers Which Are Not Really Answers At All.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (13) - One Of The Things That Is Wrong Wit... - QuotesOne Of The Things That Is Wrong With Religion Is That It Teaches Us To Be Satisfied With Answers Which Are Not Really Answers At All.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (13) - One Of The Things That Is Wrong Wit... - Quotes

I Guess The Democrats Have To Pretend To Be More Pious Than The Republicans Because They Are Under Suspicion Of Not Being.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (126) - I Guess The Democrats Have To Pret... - QuotesI Guess The Democrats Have To Pretend To Be More Pious Than The Republicans Because They Are Under Suspicion Of Not Being.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (126) - I Guess The Democrats Have To Pret... - Quotes

People Like To Trace Their Ancestry.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (130) - People Like To Trace Their Ancestr... - QuotesPeople Like To Trace Their Ancestry.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (130) - People Like To Trace Their Ancestr... - Quotes

As Darwin Himself Was At Pains To Point Out, Natural Selection Is All About Differential Survival Within Species, Not Between Them.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (132) - As Darwin Himself Was At Pains To ... - QuotesAs Darwin Himself Was At Pains To Point Out, Natural Selection Is All About Differential Survival Within Species, Not Between Them.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (132) - As Darwin Himself Was At Pains To ... - Quotes

In The World Wars, People Were Perfectly Able To Shoot Other People Just Because They Belonged To The Wrong Country, Without Ever Asking What Their Opinions Were. Faith Too Is Like That.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (131) - In The World Wars, People Were Per... - QuotesIn The World Wars, People Were Perfectly Able To Shoot Other People Just Because They Belonged To The Wrong Country, Without Ever Asking What Their Opinions Were. Faith Too Is Like That.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (131) - In The World Wars, People Were Per... - Quotes

I Do Think Imagination Is Enormously Valuable, And That Children Should Be Encouraged In Their Imagination. That's Very True.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (133) - I Do Think Imagination Is Enormous... - QuotesI Do Think Imagination Is Enormously Valuable, And That Children Should Be Encouraged In Their Imagination. That's Very True.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (133) - I Do Think Imagination Is Enormous... - Quotes

I Think The Written Word Is Probably The Best Medium Of Communication Because You Have Time To Reflect, You Have Time To Choose Your Words, To Get Your Sentences Exactly Right. Whereas When You're Being Interviewed, Say, You Have To Talk On The Fly, You Have To Improvise, You Can Change Sentences Around, And They're Not Exactly Right.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (134) - I Think The Written Word Is Probab... - QuotesI Think The Written Word Is Probably The Best Medium Of Communication Because You Have Time To Reflect, You Have Time To Choose Your Words, To Get Your Sentences Exactly Right. Whereas When You're Being Interviewed, Say, You Have To Talk On The Fly, You Have To Improvise, You Can Change Sentences Around, And They're Not Exactly Right.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (134) - I Think The Written Word Is Probab... - Quotes

You Can Legally Lie About The Real World To Your Heart's Content, But Until Some Human Being Is Materially Damaged, Nobody Will Complain.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (137) - You Can Legally Lie About The Real... - QuotesYou Can Legally Lie About The Real World To Your Heart's Content, But Until Some Human Being Is Materially Damaged, Nobody Will Complain.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (137) - You Can Legally Lie About The Real... - Quotes

Religion Teaches You To Be Satisfied With Nonanswers. It's A Sort Of Crime Against Childhood.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (138) - Religion Teaches You To Be Satisfi... - QuotesReligion Teaches You To Be Satisfied With Nonanswers. It's A Sort Of Crime Against Childhood.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (138) - Religion Teaches You To Be Satisfi... - Quotes

What Darwinian Theory Shows Us Is That All Human Races Are Extremely Close To Each Other. None Of Them Is In Any Sense Ancestral To Any Other; None Of Them Is More Primitive Than Any Other. We Are All Modern Races Of Exactly Equal Status, Evolutionarily Speaking.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (135) - What Darwinian Theory Shows Us Is ... - QuotesWhat Darwinian Theory Shows Us Is That All Human Races Are Extremely Close To Each Other. None Of Them Is In Any Sense Ancestral To Any Other; None Of Them Is More Primitive Than Any Other. We Are All Modern Races Of Exactly Equal Status, Evolutionarily Speaking.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (135) - What Darwinian Theory Shows Us Is ... - Quotes

If There Are Other Worlds Elsewhere In The Universe, I Would Conjecture They Are Governed By The Same Laws Of Natural Selection.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (139) - If There Are Other Worlds Elsewher... - QuotesIf There Are Other Worlds Elsewhere In The Universe, I Would Conjecture They Are Governed By The Same Laws Of Natural Selection.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (139) - If There Are Other Worlds Elsewher... - Quotes

Presumably What Happened To Jesus Was What Happens To All Of Us When We Die. We Decompose. Accounts Of Jesus's Resurrection And Ascension Are About As Well-documented As Jack And The Beanstalk.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (136) - Presumably What Happened To Jesus ... - QuotesPresumably What Happened To Jesus Was What Happens To All Of Us When We Die. We Decompose. Accounts Of Jesus's Resurrection And Ascension Are About As Well-documented As Jack And The Beanstalk.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (136) - Presumably What Happened To Jesus ... - Quotes

There Is Something Cheap About Magic That Works Just Because It Is Magic.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (143) - There Is Something Cheap About Mag... - QuotesThere Is Something Cheap About Magic That Works Just Because It Is Magic.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (143) - There Is Something Cheap About Mag... - Quotes

We Have A Huge Amount Of Dna In Common With Jellyfish.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (141) - We Have A Huge Amount Of Dna In Co... - QuotesWe Have A Huge Amount Of Dna In Common With Jellyfish.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (141) - We Have A Huge Amount Of Dna In Co... - Quotes

There Are Risks In The Sheer Brevity Of Twitter, And It's Actually Quite An Elegant Art Reducing What You Have To Say To 140 Characters, And It's Something That I Quite Enjoy Attempting To Do.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (140) - There Are Risks In The Sheer Brevi... - QuotesThere Are Risks In The Sheer Brevity Of Twitter, And It's Actually Quite An Elegant Art Reducing What You Have To Say To 140 Characters, And It's Something That I Quite Enjoy Attempting To Do.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (140) - There Are Risks In The Sheer Brevi... - Quotes

We Humans Are An Extremely Important Manifestation Of The Replication Bomb, Because It Is Through Us - Through Our Brains, Our Symbolic Culture And Our Technology - That The Explosion May Proceed To The Next Stage And Reverberate Through Deep Space.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (14) - We Humans Are An Extremely Importan... - QuotesWe Humans Are An Extremely Important Manifestation Of The Replication Bomb, Because It Is Through Us - Through Our Brains, Our Symbolic Culture And Our Technology - That The Explosion May Proceed To The Next Stage And Reverberate Through Deep Space.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (14) - We Humans Are An Extremely Importan... - Quotes

The Earliest Books In The New Testament To Be Written Were The Epistles, Not The Gospels. It's Almost As Though Saint Paul And Others Who Wrote The Epistles Weren't That Interested In Whether Jesus Was Real.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (142) - The Earliest Books In The New Test... - QuotesThe Earliest Books In The New Testament To Be Written Were The Epistles, Not The Gospels. It's Almost As Though Saint Paul And Others Who Wrote The Epistles Weren't That Interested In Whether Jesus Was Real.

Richard Dawkins Quotes (142) - The Earliest Books In The New Test... - Quotes