Christopher Hitchens Quotes

A collection of quotes by Christopher Hitchens.

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) was a highly influential British-American author, journalist, and public intellectual. Known for his sharp wit, fearless criticism, and contrarian views, Hitchens greatly contributed to political and cultural discussions throughout his career.

Born in Portsmouth, England, Hitchens attended the prestigious Balliol College, Oxford, where he became involved in left-wing politics and developed his writing skills. In the late 1970s, he moved to the United States and began working as a correspondent for various publications, including The Nation and Vanity Fair. He established himself as an incisive and bold writer, tackling a wide range of topics such as religion, literature, history, and foreign policy.

Hitchens gained notoriety for his outspoken atheism and criticism of organized religion, particularly in his book "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." He was a fervent advocate for secularism, freedom of expression, and human rights. Hitchens also strongly opposed totalitarian regimes and was an ardent supporter of the Iraq War, a stance that was met with both admiration and criticism.

Throughout his career, Hitchens authored numerous books, including "Letters to a Young Contrarian" and "Hitch-22: A Memoir." He was a regular contributor to various media outlets and engaged in lively debates and discussions on television and in public forums.

Christopher Hitchens passed away in 2011, leaving behind a profound intellectual legacy and a reputation as one of the most influential and controversial thinkers of his time.

Arab nationalism in its traditional form was the way in whic

Arab nationalism in its traditional form was the way in which secular Arab Christians like Edward had found and kept a place for themselves, while simultaneously avoiding the charge of being too 'Western.' It was very noticeable among the Palestinians that the most demonstrably 'extreme' nationalists and Marxists were often from Christian backgrounds. George Habash and Nayef Hawatmeh used to be celebrated examples of this phenomenon, long before anyone had heard of the cadres of Hamas, or Islamic Jihad. There was an element of overcompensation involved, or so I came to suspect.

Christopher Hitchens

Christianity Edward Said Arabs Christians Hamas Arab Christians Arab Nationalism George Habash Islamic Jihad Marxists

Madeleine Albright has said that there is 'a special place i

Madeleine Albright has said that there is 'a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.' What are the implications of this statement? Would it be an argument in favor of the candidacy of Mrs. Clinton? Would this mean that Elizabeth Edwards and Michelle Obama don't deserve the help of fellow females? If the Republicans nominated a woman would Ms. Albright instantly switch parties out of sheer sisterhood? Of course not. (And this wearisome tripe from someone who was once our secretary of state ...)

Christopher Hitchens

Feminism Hell Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Democratic Party United States Demagoguery Elizabeth Edwards John Edwards

Many writers, especially male ones, have told us that it is

Many writers, especially male ones, have told us that it is the decease of the father which opens the prospect of one's own end, and affords an unobstructed view of the undug but awaiting grave that says 'you're next.' Unfilial as this may seem, that was not at all so in my own case. It was only when I watched Alexander [my own son] being born that I knew at once that my own funeral director had very suddenly, but quite unmistakably, stepped onto the stage. I was surprised by how calmly I took this, but also by how reluctant I was to mention it to my male contemporaries.

Christopher Hitchens

Death Fathers Mortality Writers Sons

I've always regarded it as a test of character to dislike th

I've always regarded it as a test of character to dislike the Kennedys. I don't really respect anyone who falls for Camelot.

Christopher Hitchens

Character United States Gore Vidal Kennedy Family American Politics Camelot

It is indeed strange, given the heavy emphasis placed by chr

It is indeed strange, given the heavy emphasis placed by chroniclers on Churchill's sheer magnitude of personality, that the ingredient of pure ambition should be so much ignored or even disallowed.

Christopher Hitchens

Ambition Personality Biography Larger Than Life Winston Churchill

Victor invented me, in a way. He gave me a desk and a sponso

Victor invented me, in a way. He gave me a desk and a sponsor and a place to hang my hat, which was what I needed.

Christopher Hitchens

Religions and states and classes and tribes and nations do n

Religions and states and classes and tribes and nations do not have to work or argue for their adherents and subjects. They more or less inherit them. Against this unearned patrimony there have always been speakers and writers who embody Einstein's injunction to 'remember your humanity and forget the rest.' It would be immodest to claim membership in this fraternity/sorority, but I hope not to have done anything to outrage it. Despite the idiotic sneer that such principles are 'fashionable,' it is always the ideas of secularism, libertarianism, internationalism, and solidarity that stand in need of reaffirmation.

Christopher Hitchens

Politics Religion Atheism Secularism Libertarianism Social Class Internationalism Albert Einstein

I have often noticed that nationalism is at its strongest at

I have often noticed that nationalism is at its strongest at the periphery. Hitler was Austrian, Bonaparte Corsican. In postwar Greece and Turkey the two most prominent ultra-right nationalists had both been born in Cyprus. The most extreme Irish Republicans are in Belfast and Derry (and Boston and New York). Sun Yat Sen, father of Chinese nationalism, was from Hong Kong. The Serbian extremists MiloÅ¡evi? and KaradÅ¾i? were from Montenegro and their most incendiary Croat counterparts in the tended to hail from the frontier lands of Western Herzegovina.

Christopher Hitchens

Nationalism Napoleon Hitler Karadzic Milosevic Sun Yat Sen

Peace through Strength, surely history's most exploded nostr

Peace through Strength, surely history's most exploded nostrum.

Christopher Hitchens

Strength Peace History

There is a division within the neo-conservative movement, wh

There is a division within the neo-conservative movement, which is, by the way, one of the tests of its authenticity as a tendency. I would say I was a supporter of Paul Wolfowitz.

Christopher Hitchens

On page 607, alluding to the end of my first marriage (and c

On page 607, alluding to the end of my first marriage (and carefully remembering to state that that's none of his business), he very sweetly says that I 'might leave a wife, but not a friend.' Nice try. Neat smear. But he shouldn't be so sure....

Christopher Hitchens

Marriage Friends Divorce Wives Sidney Blumenthal Smear Campaign

Jesus is Santa Claus for Adults

Jesus is Santa Claus for Adults

Christopher Hitchens

The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for

The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species. It may be a long farewell, but it has begun and, like all farewells, should not be protracted.

Christopher Hitchens

It is pardonable for children to yell that they believe in f

It is pardonable for children to yell that they believe in fairies, but it is somehow sinister when the piping note shifts from the puerile to the senile.

Christopher Hitchens

Politics Children Fairies Hero Worship John F Kennedy Kennedy Family Puerility Robert Dallek Robert F Kennedy Senility

To be against rationalization is not the same as to be oppos

To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.

Christopher Hitchens

Logic Reason September 11 Attacks Rationalisation Irrationality

My father had died, and very swiftly, too, of cancer of the

My father had died, and very swiftly, too, of cancer of the esophagus. He was 79. I am 61. In whatever kind of a 'race' life may be, I have very abruptly become a finalist.

Christopher Hitchens

I had real plans for my next decade and felt I'd worked hard

I had real plans for my next decade and felt I'd worked hard enough to earn it. Will I really not live to see my children married? To watch the World Trade Center rise again? To read - if not indeed write - the obituaries of elderly villains like Henry Kissinger and Joseph Ratzinger?

Christopher Hitchens

Indeed, it's futile to try and use Holy Scripture to support

Indeed, it's futile to try and use Holy Scripture to support any political position. I deeply distrust anyone who does. Just look at what an Islamic Republic is like.

Christopher Hitchens

Politics Religion Atheism Theocracy Islamic Holy Books Islamic Republic Religious Text

In a Pyongyang restaurant, don't ever ask for a doggie bag.

In a Pyongyang restaurant, don't ever ask for a doggie bag.

Christopher Hitchens

Funny Dogs Humour North Korea Pyongyang Dog Meat Korean Cuisine

Remaining for a moment with the question of legality and ill

Remaining for a moment with the question of legality and illegality: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1368, unanimously passed, explicitly recognized the right of the United States to self-defense and further called upon all member states 'to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of the terrorist attacks. It added that 'those responsible for aiding, supporting or harboring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of those acts will be held accountable.' In a speech the following month, the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan publicly acknowledged the right of self-defense as a legitimate basis for military action. The SEAL unit dispatched by President Obama to Abbottabad was large enough to allow for the contingency of bin-Laden's capture and detention. The naÃ¯ve statement that he was 'unarmed' when shot is only loosely compatible with the fact that he was housed in a military garrison town, had a loaded automatic weapon in the room with him, could well have been wearing a suicide vest, had stated repeatedly that he would never be taken alive, was the commander of one of the most violent organizations in history, and had declared himself at war with the United States. It perhaps says something that not even the most casuistic apologist for al-Qaeda has ever even attempted to justify any of its 'operations' in terms that could be covered by any known law, with the possible exception of some sanguinary verses of the Koran.

Christopher Hitchens

Law Justice Barack Obama Islamism Assassination Death Of Osama Bin Laden International Law Al Qaeda Abbottabad Kofi Annan