"It is one of the greatest crimes committed against man.

"And people who are uncreative are praised as saints. All that they have done may be fasting. But being hungry is not a great quality, and it does not enhance humanity in any way. They may have lived naked, but that does not mean they are making life more beautiful. Most of these naked saints are so ugly that it would have been better…they should be praised if they stop being naked. But their nakedness has been praised; it is thought to be a great discipline.

"Sometimes stupid ideas carried for a long time almost start looking like ultimate truths. All the animals are naked. I don't see any saintliness in being naked. I am not saying that to be naked is criminal, I am simply saying that if the time is right and the climate is beautiful and you have a body worth seeing…. First stand naked before the mirror before you disturb other people. But on a sea beach, of course, you can be naked; in a good climate, in the home you can be naked. But there is nothing saintly in it, it is simply natural. Every animal, every bird is naked – except a few dogs.

"In the Victorian age in England, where morality became hilarious, even dogs were covered with clothes. This was thought to be very Christian. You will not believe it, even the legs of the chairs and tables were covered – because they are called legs and legs should not be left naked. Except for those few idiots, the whole world of the animals has remained natural.

"For man perhaps it is now difficult to be naked in all the seasons. His body is no longer capable, is no longer so strong as it was in the age of the primitive man who lived naked. For thousands of years we have protected our bodies. But remember, whenever anything is protected it becomes weaker. The more you protect, the weaker it becomes. A primitive man in the jungles of India still lives naked – in the winter, in the rain, in the hot sun – but he has the stamina and he has the body."