Humanist Bookshelf shares words of wisdom by the humanist thinkers who have helped to define humanism.

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‘I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without expectations of rewards or punishments after I am dead.’

Humanist author Kurt Vonnegut. Tweet this.

‘I hope that people will finally come to realise there is only one ‘race’, the human race, and that we are all members of it.’

Humanist author Margaret Atwood. Tweet this.

‘No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away… The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence.’

Humanist author Terry Pratchett. Tweet this.

‘Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.’

Scientist and humanist Marie Curie. Tweet this.

‘Is there one motto which we should follow our whole life? Surely it is the rule of reciprocity: Don’t do to others what you would not like yourself.’

Ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. Tweet this.

‘Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends, I to my own heart.’

Humanist and author Virginia Woolf. Tweet this.

‘You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all.’

Humanist playwright James Baldwin. Tweet this.

‘I maintain that faith in this world is perfectly possible without faith in another world.’

Scientist and humanist Rosalind Franklin. Tweet this.

Read about the humanist books we recommend for your bookshelf 👀📚

Start your own Humanist bookshelf!

Our Little Book series is the perfect introduction to the humanist approach to life, and looks good on any bookshelf!

In each book, Alice Roberts and Andrew Copson share over 2,000 years of humanist wisdom through an uplifting collection of stories, quotes and meditations on how to live an ethical and fulfilling life, grounded in reason and humanity.

With universal insights and beautiful original illustrations, the Little Book series is a perfect introduction to and a timeless anthology of humanist thought from some of history and today’s greatest thinkers. Order yours today.

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