“God was a clever idea … The human race came up with a winner there.”

“The idea is that you could sacrifice something of value, and that would have transcendent utility. That is by no means an unsophisticated idea. In fact, it might be the greatest idea that human beings ever came up with.”

Jordan Peterson (1962) Canadian clinical psychologist, cultural critic, and professor of psychology

“I have learned that particularly clever ideas do not always stand up under close scrutiny.”

Elizabeth Peters The Hippopotamus Pool

“The government may be made up of clever, sensible people. But if they do not believe in basic human values, the more clever or shrewd they are the greater the tragedy they will create.”

Ai Weiwei (1957) Chinese concept artist

“Whereas in Scripture all men are descendants of Adam, in evolutionary thought, all men are possibly descendants of very differing evolutionary sources. Common descent in Adam meant a common creation, nature, and responsibility under God. The idea of multiple origins proved divisive. The human race was no longer the human race! It was a collection of possibly human races, a very different doctrine.”

Rousas John Rushdoony (1916–2001) American theologian

“He doesn't belong to a race clever enough to split the atom but not clever enough to live at peace with itself.”

John Steinbeck (1902–1968) American writer

“Respect for the God-given dignity of every human being, no matter their race, ethnicity or other circumstances of their birth, is the essence of American patriotism. To believe otherwise is to oppose the very idea of America.”

John McCain (1936–2018) politician from the United States

“Books are fatal: they are the curse of the human race. Nine- tenths of existing books are nonsense, and the clever books are the refutation of that nonsense. The greatest misfortune that ever befell man was the invention of printing.”

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and Prime Minister

“Karl: I came up with a good idea…. see through skin”

Karl Pilkington (1972) English television personality, social commentator, actor, author and former radio producer

“Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood.”

H.L. Mencken (1880–1956) American journalist and writer