You can't write about the past and ignore religion. It was such a fundamental, mind-shaping, driving force for pre-modern societies. I'm very interested in what religion does to us - its capacity to create love and empathy or hatred and violence.

Supreme serenity still remains the Ideal of great Art. The shapes and transitory forms of life are but stages toward this Ideal, which Christ's religion illuminates with His divine light.

It's fun being in Islamic countries, to know there's only one religion. There's order. You wear a burqa. There's no choice. People are happy with that.

Difference of religion breeds more quarrels than difference of politics.

The first guy who came up with the concept of religion was sitting out under a tree. I'm sure of that.

It doesn't matter what color, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, etc., everyone should have the same freedoms and liberties.

I am a Westerner. We're not going to change the West by going East. The East has a lot to teach us, but essentially it's like a mirror, saying, hey, can't you see what's here in your own religion, what are you, stupid?

Violence against women in all its forms is a human rights violation. It's not something that any culture, religion or tradition propagates.

How can you tell when a political ideology has become the equivalent of a religion?

I have increasingly, over the years, felt that religion today does our civilization more harm than good.