Salman Rushdie Quotes

By the age of fifteen, I had convinced myself that nobody could give a reasonable explanation of what he meant by the word 'God' and that it was therefore as meaningless to assert a belief as to assert a disbelief in God. Though this, in a general way, has remained my position ever since, I have always avoided unnecessarily to offend other people holding religious belief by displaying my lack of such belief, or even stating my lack of belief, if I was not challenged.

Unlike religious people, I look at all religions equally.

Freedom of religion has been replaced by freedom from religion.

I am an atheist, although I very much admire and have been influenced by many traditionally religious people.

I come from an almost wholly secular background and have no quarrel with religion.

In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist." We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and their cattle. Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.

We are a people of faith. We have been so secure in that faith that we have enshrined in our Constitution protection for people who profess no faith. And good for us for doing so. That is what the First Amendment is all about.

I’m an atheist. The good news about atheists is that we have no mandate to convert anyone. So you’ll never find me on your doorstep on a Saturday morning with a big smile saying ‘Just stopped by to tell you there is no word. I brought along this little blank book I was hoping you could take a look at.’

I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.

Why am I an atheist? I ask you: Why is anybody not an atheist? Everyone starts out being an atheist. No one is born with belief in anything. Infants are atheists until they are indoctrinated. I resent anyone pushing their religion on me. I don't push my atheism on anybody else. Live and let live. Not many people practice that when it comes to religion.

I want to thank you, especially those people who are agnostic or atheist. I don't mean any offense by the things I said of the spirit world. Thank you for allowing me to speak about the spiritual, because I can't talk about my life or writing without mentioning that.

I'm not a religious person.

I'm not a religious person at all.

I am not a religious person, nor do I have any regrets.

If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.

The fact that I don't have any particular need for religion doesn't mean that I have a need to cast religion aside the way some of my colleagues do.

I kind of call myself an atheist, I suppose - although quite a spiritual atheist, I hope.

People and their religions don't affect me.

I don't have a religion, but I respect them.

The freedom of all faiths, and non faiths, is best protected when government does not give its blessings to any.

State schools will be thrown open to Jews, Agnostics, Roman Catholics and Atheists.

I’m trying to be a real Muslim, who respects others and respects the freedom of the people to choose their own religious denominations or even to not believe in God in the first place.

To give religion two minutes a day, in its own space, isn't exactly selling general morality or atheism short.

Kentucky isn't particularly religious.

Honestly, I'm, like, the least religious person in the world.