Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

There are no gods in the universe, no nations, no money, no human rights, no laws, and no justice outside the common imagination of human beings.

Osama Bin Laden, for all his hatred of American culture, American religion and American politics, was very fond of American dollars. How did money succeed where gods and kings failed?

The average Christian believes in the monotheist God, but also in the dualist Devil, in polytheist saints, and in animist ghosts.

Syncretism might, in fact, be the single great world religion.

Since 1945, no independent country recognised by the UN has been conquered and wiped off the map.

For real peace is not the mere absence of war. Real peace is the implausibility of war.