If a God created the world, he created man to be his ape, as a
perpetual source of amusement in the midst of his rather tedious
eternities. 2, 193
The robber and the man of power who promises to protect a community
from robbers are perhaps at bottom beings of the same mould, save that
the latter attains his ends by other means than the former--that is
to say, through regular imposts paid to him by the community, and no
longer through forced contributions. 2, 200
The sting of conscience, like the gnawing of a dog at a stone, is mere
foolishness. 2, 217
Rights may be traced to traditions, traditions to momentary agreements.
2, 217
Morality is primarily a means of preserving the community and saving it
from destruction. Next it is a means of maintaining the community on a
certain plane and in a certain degree of benevolence. Its motives are
fear and hope, and these in a more coarse, rough, and powerful form,
the more the propensity towards the perverse, one-sided, and personal
still persists. 2, 221
Moral prohibitions, like those of the Decalogue, are only suited to
ages when reason lies vanquished. 2, 223
It is difficult to explain why pity is so highly prized, just as we
need to explain why the unselfish man, who is originally despised or
feared as being artful, is praised. 2, 224
The sum-total of our conscience is all that has regularly been demanded
of us, without reason, in the days of our childhood, by people whom we
respected or feared. 2, 224