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Thomas Paine Quotes - Page 12

All Quotes 4th Of July Adversity Age Ambition Arguing Art Atheism Atheist Being Strong Belief Bible Character Children Christ Christianity Church Common Sense Community Constitution Country Creation Crime Democracy Determination Devil Duty Dying Earth Encouragement Evil Exercise Fate Fear Feelings Fighting Freedom Giving God Happiness Heart Heaven Home Honesty Honor Humanity Hypocrisy Ignorance Imagination Independence Inspirational Integrity Jesus Justice Language Liberty Life Lying Money Morality Motivation Nature Opportunity Oppression Passion Patriotism Peace Perseverance Philosophy Politics Poverty Prejudice Progress Purpose Reflection Religion Revolution School Science Scripture Second Amendment Separation Slavery Soul Strength Study Taxes Theology Time Trade Trust Truth Tyranny Unity Virtue Voting War Wisdom

All the tales of miracles, with which the Old and New Testament are filled, are fit only for impostors to preach and fools to believe.

All the tales of miracles, with which the Old and New Testament are filled, are fit only for impostors to preach and fools to believe.

Believe, Miracle, Religion

Thomas Paine (1835). “The Theological Works of Thomas Paine: The Most Complete Edition Ever Published”, p.300

All the religions known in the world are founded, so far as they relate to man or the unity of man, as being all of one degree. Whether in heaven or in hell, or in whatever state man may be supposed to exist hereafter, the good and the bad are the only distinctions.

Equality, Men, Heaven

Thomas Paine (2016). “THE RIGHTS OF MAN: The French Revolution – Ideals, Arguments & Motives (Political Classic): Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.34, e-artnow

Lay then the axe to the root, and teach governments humanity. It is their sanguinary punishments which corrupt mankind.

Government, Punishment, Roots

'The Rights of Man' (1791) p. 33

It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover God.

Exercise, Men, Reason

Thomas Paine (2016). “THE AGE OF REASON - Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology (Including “The Life of Thomas Paine”): Deistic Critique of Bible and Christian Church”, p.23, e-artnow

But if objects for gratitude and admiration are our desire, do they not present themselves every hour to our eyes?

Gratitude, Eye, Independence

Thomas Paine (1848). “The Theological Works of Thomas Paine”, p.10

The case, however, is, that the Bible will not bear examination in any part of it, which it would do if it was the Word of God. Those who most believe it are those who know least about it, and priests always take care to keep the inconsistent and contradictory parts out of sight.

Believe, Sight, Bears

Thomas Paine (1859). “The Theological Works ...: The Most Complete Ed. Ever Pub”, p.340

Paper money is like dram-drinking, it relieves for a moment by deceitful sensation, but gradually diminishes the natural heat, and leaves the body worse than it found it. Were not this the case, and could money be made of paper at pleasure, every sovereign in Europe would be as rich as he pleased. But the truth is, that it is a bubble and the attempt vanity. Nature has provided the proper materials for money: gold and silver, and any attempt of ours to rival her is ridiculous.

Drinking, Europe, Vanity

Thomas Paine (1824). “The Political Writings of Thomas Paine: Secretary to the Committee of Foreign Affairs in the American Revolution : to which is Prefixed a Brief Sketch of the Author's Life”, p.410

In a chariot of light from the region of the day, the Goddess of Liberty came. She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love, the plant she named Liberty Tree.

Patriotic, Light, July

Thomas Paine, “Liberty Tree”

War ought to be no man's wish.

War, Men, Wish

Thomas Paine (1995). “Collected Writings”, p.81, Library of America

The Bible: a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalise mankind.

Atheist, Faith Religion, Atheism

Thomas Paine (1861). “The Age of Reason, etc”, p.7

If men will permit themselves to think, as rational beings ought to think, nothing can appear more ridiculous and absurd, exclusive of all moral reflections, than to be at the expence of building navies, filling them with men, and then hauling them into the ocean, to try which can sink each other fastester. Peace, which costs nothing, is attended with infintely more advantage than any victory with all its expence. But this, though it best answers the purpose of Nations, does not that of Court Governments, whose habited policy is pretence for taxation, places, and offices.

Ocean, Thinking, Reflection

When I see throughout this book, called the Bible, a history of the grossest vices and a collection of the most paltry and contemptible tales and stories, I could not so dishonor my Creator by calling it by His name.

Book, Names, Religion

I do not believe that any two men, on what are called doctrinal points, think alike who think at all. It is only those who have not thought that appear to agree.

Believe, Men, Thinking

'The Rights of Man' pt. 2 (1792)

Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime.

Lying, Believe, Men

Thomas Paine (2015). “The Thomas Paine Collection: Common Sense, Rights of Man, Age of Reason, An Essay on Dream, Biblical Blasphemy, Examination Of The Prophecies”, p.222, Ravenio Books

On this question of war, three things are to be considered. First, the right of declaring it: secondly, the expense of supporting it: thirdly, the mode of conducting it after it is declared.

War, Three, Firsts

Thomas Paine (2016). “THOMAS PAINE Ultimate Collection: Political Works, Philosophical Writings, Speeches, Letters & Biography (Including Common Sense, The Rights of Man & The Age of Reason): The American Crisis, The Constitution of 1795, Declaration of Rights, Agrarian Justice, The Republican Proclamation, Anti-Monarchal Essay, Letters to Thomas Jefferson and George Washington…”, p.224, e-artnow

The most horrible wickedness and cruelties, and the greatest miseries that have troubled the human race began with this thing called revelation, or revealed religion. ... It would be far, far better for us to let a thousand devils roam the world, and publicly preach the doctrine of devils (if there were such a thing, which there isn't), than to let one impostor and monster such a Moses, Joshua, Samuel or the Bible prophets come speaking the so-called word of God, and causing men to believe it.

Believe, Men, Race

The Vatican is a dagger in the heart of Italy.

Heart, Daggers, Superstitions

Titles are but nicknames, and every nickname is a title. The thing is perfectly harmless in itself, but it marks a sort of foppery in the human character, which degrades it.

Character, Titles, Nicknames

Thomas Paine (2012). “Rights of Man”, p.50, Courier Corporation

The Christian religion is derogatory to the Creator in all its articles. It puts the Creator in an inferior point of view, and places the Christian devil above him. It is he, according to the absurd story in Genesis, that outwits the Creator in the Garden Eden, and steals from Him His favorite creature, man, and at last obliges Him to beget a son, and put that son to death, to get man back again; and this the priests of the Christian religion call redemption.

Christian, Son, Men

Thomas Paine (2016). “COMMON SENSE (Political Classics Series): Advocating Independence to People in the Thirteen Colonies - Addressed to the Inhabitants of America”, p.598, e-artnow

Suspicion and persecution are weeds of the same dunghill, and flourish best together.

Weed, Together, Suspicion

Thomas Paine, John P. Kaminski (2002). “Citizen Paine: Thomas Paine's Thoughts on Man, Government, Society, and Religion”, p.224, Rowman & Littlefield

The Christian religion and Masonry have one and the same common origin: Both are derived from the worship of the Sun. The difference between their origin is, that the Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the Sun, in which they put a man whom they call Christ, in the place of the Sun, and pay him the same adoration which was originally paid to the Sun.

Christian, Men, Differences

Thomas Paine (1859). “Complete Works”, p.312

It is often said in the Bible that God spake unto Moses, but how do you know that God spake unto Moses? Because, you will say, the Bible says so. The Koran says, that God spake unto Mahomet, do you believe that too? No. Why not? Because, you will say, you do not believe it; and so because you do, and because you don't is all the reason you can give for believing or disbelieving except that you will say that Mahomet was an impostor. And how do you know Moses was not an impostor?

Believe, Giving, Why Not

Thomas Paine (1830). “The Theological Works of Thomas Paine: To which are Added the Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar”, p.162

As parents, we can have no joy, knowing that this government is not sufficiently lasting to ensure any thing which we may bequeath to posterity: And by a plain method of argument, as we are running the next generation into debt, we ought to do the work of it, otherwise we use them meanly and pitifully. In order to discover the line of our duty rightly, we should take our children in our hand, and fix our station a few years farther into life; that eminence will present a prospect, which a few present fears and prejudices conceal from our sight.

Family, Running, Children

Thomas Paine (2006). “Common Sense: Addressed to the Inhabitants of America”, p.25, Cosimo, Inc.

The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security.

Pain, Motivation, Government

Thomas Paine (1848). “Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.86

When I contemplate the natural dignity of man; when I feel (for Nature has not been kind enough to me to blunt my feelings) for the honor and happiness of its character, I become irritated at the attempt to govern mankind by force and fraud, as if they were all knaves and fools, and can scarcely avoid disgust at those who are thus imposed upon.

Character, Men, Feelings

Thomas Paine (1852). “The Rights of Man: With a Brief Historical Preface”, p.32

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