The upheavals of adolescence silenced 'A Christmas Carol' for a few years. I became a firebrand atheist. Christmas - humbug! Too commercial! Then I became an agnostic. Christmas was a pro-forma affair basically a chore. Buy mother a book dad a new tie my brother and sister small gifts. Pretend thanks for the fountain pens and shirts I received.

You don't have to call it God or Jesus. That's religious humbug to a lot of people but you've gotta believe that nature and spiritual things surround us. That is what put us here! I thank the universe for that every day of my life.

Either marriage is a destiny I believe or there is no sense in it at all it's a piece of humbug.

The balance between faith and reason is for the determination of each individual and of the people as a whole not of unauthorized government officials uttering impious humbug as they arbitrarily try to define that balance.

An educated man is thoroughly inoculated against humbug thinks for himself and tries to give his thoughts in speech or on paper some style.

Second to agriculture humbug is the biggest industry of our age.