I think I'm fascinated by the power of religion in our culture. Like a lot of secular liberal people I ignored it for a long time. Lately of course just from a political perspective it's impossible to ignore.

Religion without morality is a superstition and a curse and morality without religion is impossible.

The increase of territory and power of empires by force of arms has been the policy of all great powers and it has always been possible to get the approval of their state religion.

For no art and no religion is possible until we make allowances until we manage to keep quiet the enfant terrible of logic that plays havoc with the other faculties.

There's no reason to bring religion into it. I think we ought to have as great a regard for religion as we can so as to keep it out of as many things as possible.

I was 21 in 1968 so I'm as much a child of the '60s as is possible to be. In those years the subject of religion had really almost disappeared the idea that religion was going to be a major force in the life of our societies in the West anyway would have seemed absurd in 1968.

Sex is the mysticism of materialism and the only possible religion in a materialistic society.

The Americans combine the notions of religion and liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive of one without the other.

I've just finished my next collection Possible Side Effects and I'm now working on a collection of holiday stories as well as a memoir about my relationship with my father.

It's impossible. You try to have any kind of relationship with your family with a man or with a friend and you have to be on the phone and the Internet the entire time.