Daniel Dennett Quotes

Keeping religion immune from criticism is both unwarranted and dangerous.

I took it personal. I got slammed quite a bit.

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'm very sensitive to criticism, particularly when it's very, very personal.

When you write about faith, people will be upset with you no matter what. I've heard from readers who were disgusted with the depiction of monotheistic religion. I've also heard from readers who were upset because my portrayal of faith did not adhere to their specific doctrines. Fortunately, I have high risk tolerance.

I have no wish to offend, but I do think that holy cows need challenging.

People criticising me for my emotional outburst are not humans.

I think that religious culture and the industry of religion pretty much deserves most of the heat that it gets.

Dead men always have the last laugh. They win. They're dead. You can't hurt their feelings anymore.

A religion that cannot stand a little laughter must be a very rotten one.

Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes them strive to justify themselves. Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person's precious pride, hurts their sense of importance, and arouses resentment.

Today, I wanted to spend some time reading and responding to comments of fans on my Facebook page. Yes, there are great comments, but there are also a lot of people who are very opinionated and judgmental. So, initially, when I read these judgmental comments, I don't feel vulnerable, but rather I get defensive. But once I get past that anger, it sort of becomes hurt. It becomes pain.

There is something very unhealthy about Christianity.

All religions are ancient monuments to superstition, ignorance and ferocity.

Have you noticed how difficult it is just to get along in the world? If you're no good at all in your job, people treat you badly and eventually you will be unemployed. And if you're a little better than competent, everyone expects miracles from you, every single time. Like most of life, it's a no-win situation. And if you dare to mention it, no matter how creatively you phrase your complaints, you are shunned as a whiner.

When criticism comes your way as an actor they are not criticizing your writing or your painting or your piece, they are criticizing you! It is hard to put that away in a place where you are not hurt.

Islam and Islamic values now have a level of immunity from comment and criticism in the Western world that Christianity has lost and Judaism has never had.

That's the funny thing about religion: it doesn't matter what you say, you're going to upset someone.

If people are jumping down people's throats all the time, in the end, they'll just shrivel up like a flower shrivels up that's not watered.

The bottom line is, insults only hurt when they come from someone I respect.

Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity. It is the mere Abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of Jesus.

I would prefer you not to say, "That was the most terribly written piece I've ever read." That would hurt me. But you don't think I'm the best person in the world? Well, alright.

[People] think [the government is] coddling people, like when people's feelings are hurt at the colleges and they send somebody in to make them feel better. Stuff like that drives [voters here] crazy.

Yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost.

Sometimes it's hard to hear criticism, or "maybe let's try a different way." People's feelings get hurt.