I decided (after listening to a "talk radio" commentator who abused, vilified, and scorned every noble cause to which I had devoted my entire life) that I was both a humanist and a liberal, each of the most dangerous and vilified type. I am a humanist because I think humanity can, with constant moral guidance, create a reasonably decent society. I am terrified of restrictive religious doctrine, having learned from history that when men who adhere to any form of it are in control, common men like me are in peril. I do not believe that pure reason can solve the perpetual problems unless it is modified by poetry and art and social vision. So I am a humanist. And if you want to charge me with being the most virulent kind–a secular humanist– I accept the accusation. [Interview, Parade magazine, 24 November 1991]. James A. Michener
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  2. Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust. - Bell Hooks
  3. Remember your humanity, and forget the rest. - Bertrand Russell
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More Quotes By James A. Michener
  1. If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.
  2. We seek God so earnestly, Eliav reflected, not to find Him but to discover ourselves.
  3. I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.
  4. Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual's right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized societies the world over. Without libraries, I would be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually.
  5. Over a hundred German scientists arrived here [Huntsville] at eleven o’clock on an April morning and by nightfall more than sixty had applied for cards at the free library.
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