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Thomas Paine Quotes - Page 13

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

It was needless, after this, to say that all was vanity and vexation of spirit; for it is impossible to derive happiness from the company of those whom we deprive of happiness.

It was needless, after this, to say that all was vanity and vexation of spirit; for it is impossible to derive happiness from the company of those whom we deprive of happiness.

Vanity, Vexation, Spirit

Thomas Paine (1995). “Collected Writings”, p.771, Library of America

It is from our enemies that we often gain excellent maxims, and are frequently surprised into reason by their mistakes.

Mistake, Enemy, Gains

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.32, Ravenio Books

We feel something like respect for consistency even in error. We lament the virtue that is debauched into a vice; but the vice that affects a virtue becomes the more detestable.

Errors, Consistency, Vices

Thomas Paine (1990). “The Crisis Papers, 1776-1783”, p.136, Rowman & Littlefield

But such is the irresistable nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants is the liberty of appearing.

Truth, Liberty, Want

Thomas Paine, Bruce Kuklick (2000). “Paine: Political Writings”, p.162, Cambridge University Press

The final event to himself has been, that as he rose like a rocket, he fell like the stick.

Pain, Rose, Events

On Edmund Burke losing the debate on the French Revolution to Charles James Fox, in the House of Commons; 'Letter to the Addressers on the late Proclamation' (1792) p. 4

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.

Giving, Heaven, Would Be

The American Crisis, 19 Dec. 1776

Of all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is no more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifiying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory to itself than this thing called Christianity.

Men, Christianity, Reason

He who takes nature for his guide, is not easily beaten out of his argument

Argument, Guides, Beaten

Thomas Paine, John P. Kaminski (2002). “Citizen Paine: Thomas Paine's Thoughts on Man, Government, Society, and Religion”, p.163, Rowman & Littlefield

The stupid texts of the Bible - from which, be the talents of the preacher what they may, only stupid sermons can be preached.

Bible, Stupid, May

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.101, e-artnow

Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to kill me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to suffer it?

War, Believe, Thinking

1776 The Crisis, introduction, Dec.

The Allwise Creator hath been dishonored by being made the author of fable and the human mind degraded by believing it.

Believe, Mind, Fables

Thomas Paine (1875). “The Age of Reason: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology”

It is with a pious fraud as with a bad action; it begets a calamitous necessity of going on.

Action, Fraud, Begets

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.431, e-artnow

There exists in man a mass of sense lying in a dormant state, and which, unless something excites it to action, will descend with him, in that condition,to the grave.

Lying, Men, Action

Thomas Paine, John P. Kaminski (2002). “Citizen Paine: Thomas Paine's Thoughts on Man, Government, Society, and Religion”, p.177, Rowman & Littlefield

To believe that God created a plurality of worlds, at least as numerous as what we call stars, renders the Christian faith at once little and ridiculous; and scatters it in the mind like feathers in the air.

Christian, Stars, Believe

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.37, e-artnow

Uncritical reverence for the Founding Fathers was less ubiquitous while they actually lived. . . . "The Reign of Terror that raged in America during the latter end of the Washington Administration, and the whole of that of Adams, is enveloped in mystery to me. That there were men in the Government hostile to the representative system, was once their toast, though it is now their overthrow, and therefore the fact is established against them."

Life, Father, Men

To be nobly wrong is more manly than to be meanly right.

Nobility, Manly

Thomas Paine (1995). “Thomas Paine: Collected Writings: Common Sense / The American Crisis / Rights of: (Library of America #76)”, p.288, Library of America

The whole religious complexion of the modern world is due to the absence from Jerusalem of a lunatic asylum.

Religious, Bipolar, Religion

The only idea man can affix to the name of God, is that of a first cause, the cause of all things. And, incomprehensibly difficult as it is for a man to conceive what a first cause is, he arrives at the belief of it, from the tenfold greater difficulty of disbelieving it. It is difficult beyond description to conceive that space can have no end; but it is more difficult to conceive an end. It is difficult beyond the power of man to conceive an eternal duration of what we call time; but it is more impossible to conceive a time when there shall be no time.

Men, Names, Ideas

Thomas Paine (1794). “Paine's Age of Reason, with Remarks, Containing a Vindication of the Doctrines of Christianity from the Aspersions of that Author. By a Citizen of the World [i.e. James Tytler]”, p.73

A single legislature, on account of the superabundance of its power, and the uncontrolled rabidity of its execution, becomes as dangerous to the principles of liberty as that of a despotic monarch.

Political, Liberty, Principles

In a general view, there are few conquests that repay the charge of making them, and mankind are pretty well convinced that it can never be worth their while to go to war for profit's sake. If they are made war upon, their country invaded, or their existence at stake, it is their duty to defend and preserve themselves, but in every other light, and from every other cause, is war inglorious and detestable.

Country, Peace, War

Thomas Paine (1819). “The American Crisis”, p.104

I detest the Bible as I detest everything that is cruel.

Religion, Atheism, Detest

Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence.

Life, Military, Spirit

Thomas Paine (1856). “Common Sense: Addressed to the Inhabitants of America”, p.53

One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings, is, that nature disapproves it, otherwise, she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion.

Kings, Giving, Lions

Thomas Paine (2016). “Common Sense”, p.12, Coventry House Publishing

The New Testament rests itself for credulity and testimony on what are called prophecies in the Old Testament, of the person called Jesus Christ; and if there are no such things as prophecies of any such person in the Old Testament, the New Testament.

Jesus, Christ, Old Testament

Thomas Paine (1859). “The Theological Works ...: The Most Complete Ed. Ever Pub”, p.216

Government ought to be as much open to improvement as anything which appertains to man, instead of which it has been monopolized from age to age, by the most ignorant and vicious of the human race. Need we any other proof of their wretched management, than the excess of debts and taxes with which every nation groans, and the quarrels into which they have precipitated the world?"

Men, Race, Ignorant

Thomas Paine (1995). “Thomas Paine: Collected Writings: Common Sense / The American Crisis / Rights of: (Library of America #76)”, p.595, Library of America

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