“Do you believe in God?” she asked.

He replied, “No, I am not ignorant.”

“What?” said she, “Have you no faith?”

“Oh, no, I have no blindness.”

“Do you never pray?”

“I don’t permit myself idle wishes, nor pretend I have mental control over existence.”

“Do you believe in nothing?”

“I don’t accept anything without proof. It is you who believe in nothing.”

“Don’t you want to go to Heaven when you die?”

“When I die, I will be gone.”

Then, exasperated, she exclaimed, “You do mock the meaning of my words!”

He calmly replied, “You, my dear, do mock all language, all thinking, all human speech, all aspirations, all achievements, as well as your own existence.”