A new addition to the Buddhist quotations section:
Do not believe in anything (simply) because you have heard it.It would be great to add more to the atheist spirituality section, so if you have a suggestion, please send it in.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything (simply) because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on authority of your teachers and elders.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
~ Gotama Buddha
Some people might say that atheist spirituality is a contradiction in terms, but spirituality does not necessarily imply believing in anything supernatural - it just means responding with awe and wonder to the beauty of nature and the universe, to poetry, literature, liturgy, and the wonders of science; and often includes practising meditation and compassion.
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