One of my favourite quotations is supposedly by Albert Einstein: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."
At first glance it might seem like a platitude, but I think it neatly sums up the Humanist philosophy.
Learn from yesterday: Don't slavishly follow the handed down 'rules' (such as the so called holy scriptures or church traditions) but look at the successes and failures in human endeavour and learn from them.
Live for today: As there is no afterlife we need to make the most of this life, and we certainly shouldn't expect others to tolerate suffering on the basis that there is better future 'heaven' for them.
Hope for tomorrow: The Humanist outlook must be optimistic. We must believe that that humans will ultimately build a better world, as we are all we've got!
Questioning: We are really only going to make progress if we keep questioning things, and we mustn't be afraid to be questioned. Critical Thinking is an important skill.
PS: I tried to get to a verifiable source of the quotation as Einstein's but have only drawn blanks. It may be a myth. One source said it was quoted in an interview in Life Magazine, May 2, 1955 - but I couldn't find it in the transcript. I would be interested to know if anyone has more information.
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