William Ralph Inge

“No word in our language — not even "Socialism"— has been employed more loosely than "Mysticism." … The history of the word begins in close connexion with the Greek mysteries. A mystic is one who has been, or is being, initiated into some esoteric knowledge of Divine things, about which he must keep his mouth shut…”

“The old civilisation, with all the brilliant qualities which make many moderns regret its destruction, rested on too narrow a base. The woman and the slave were left out, the woman especially by the Greeks, and the slave by the Romans.”

“It is becoming impossible for those who mix at all with their fellow-men to believe that the grace of God is distributed denominationally.”

“It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion.”

“The fruit of the tree of knowledge, always drives man from some paradise or other.”

“Civilization is a disease which is almost invariably fatal.”

“We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.”

“I have never understood why it should be considered derogatory to the Creator to suppose that he has a sense of humour.”

“So the pendulum swings, now violently, now slowly; and every institution not only carries within it the seeds of its own dissolution, but prepares the way for its most hated rival.”

“There are two kinds of fools: one says, "This is old, therefore it is good"; the other says, "This is new, therefore it is better."”

“A nation is a society united by a delusion about its ancestry and by a common hatred of its neighbours.”

“When our first parents were driven out of Paradise, Adam is believed to have remarked to Eve: "My dear, we live in an age of transition."”

“Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter. This is what makes the trade of historian so attractive.”