The knavery and folly of men are such common phenomena, that I should rather believe the most extraordinary events to arise from their concurrence, than admit of so signal a violation of the laws of nature.

No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous, than the fact, which it endeavors to establish.

[A miracle is] the most equivocal sort of evidence that can be set up; for the belief is not to depend upon the thing called a miracle, but upon the credit of the reporter who says he saw it; and, therefore, the thing, were it true, would have no better chance of being believed than if it was a lie.

All the pretended miracles near enough to be examined are referable to illusion or imposture […] miracles only exist when people believe in them. The supernatural is but another word for faith.

If a single miracle had ever been proved, we could not reject in a mass all those of ancient history; for, admitting that very many of these were false, we might still believe that some of them were true. But it is not so.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.