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Thomas Paine Quotes - Page 3

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

One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.

One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.

Atheist, Motivation, Use

Thomas Paine (1826). “A Letter to Camille Jordan, of the Council of Five Hundred: Occasioned by His Report on the Priests, the Worship, and the Bells”, p.6

Men should not petition for rights, but take them

Men, Rights, Should

Religion is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize humankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it as I detest everything that is cruel.

Wickedness, Age Of Reason, Sincerely

Thomas Paine (1934). “The Works of Thomas Paine: His Epoch-making Writings in Religion, Government, Human Rights and International Relations”, New York : .H. Wise

It is from the Bible that man has learned cruelty, rapine, and murder; for the belief of a cruel God makes a cruel man.

Men, Belief, Murder

Thomas Paine (2011). “The Age of Reason”, p.119, Broadview Press

It is never to be expected in a revolution that every man is to change his opinion at the same moment. There never yet was any truth or any principle so irresistibly obvious that all men believed it at once. Time and reason must cooperate with each other to the final establishment of any principle; and therefore those who may happen to be first convinced have not a right to persecute others, on whom conviction operates more slowly. The moral principle of revolutions is to instruct, not to destroy.

Truth, Men, Principles

Thomas Paine (1795). “Dissertation on First-principles of Government”, p.36

Character is much easier kept than recovered.

Life, Integrity, War

Thomas Paine (1819). “The American Crisis”, p.190

If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.

Veterans Day, Time, Peace

Thomas Paine (2003). “Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of ThomasPaine”, p.96, Penguin

Ye that dare oppose, not only tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!

Tyrants, Democracy, Dare

Thomas Paine (1854). “The Works of Thomas Paine: A Hero in the American Revolution. With an Account of His Life ...”, p.13

When it shall be said in any country in the world my poor are happy; neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them; my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars; the aged are not in want; the taxes are not oppressive; the rational world is my friend, because I am a friend of its happiness: When these things can be said, there may that country boast its Constitution and its Government

Happiness, Country, Ignorance

Thomas Paine (1995). “Collected Writings”, p.649, Library of America

These are the times that try men's souls.

Veterans Day, Time, Motivation

The American Crisis, 19 Dec. 1776

Government is not a trade which any man or body of men has a right to set up and exercise for his own emolument, but is altogether a trust, in right of those by whom that trust is delegated, and by whom it is always resumable. It has of itself no rights; they are altogether duties.

Exercise, Men, Rights

Thomas Paine (1848). “Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.102

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

Inspirational, Life, Motivational

Thomas Paine (1817). “The Political Works of Thomas Paine: In Two Volumes”

The fable of Christ and his twelve apostles is a parody of the sun and the twelve signs of the Zodiac, copied from the ancient religions of the Eastern world. Every thing told of Christ has reference to the sun. His reported resurrection is at sunrise, and that on the first day of the week; that is, on the day anciently dedicated to the sun, and from thence called Sunday.

Sunday, Zodiac, Sunrise

Thomas Paine (2016). “COMMON SENSE (Political Classics Series): Advocating Independence to People in the Thirteen Colonies - Addressed to the Inhabitants of America”, p.599, e-artnow

We still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry and grasping at the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised to furnish new pretenses for revenue and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without a tribute.

Wisdom, Government, Hands

Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson (1988). “Paine and Jefferson on Liberty”, p.107, Bloomsbury Publishing USA

It is not because a part of the government is elective, that makes it less a despotism, if the persons so elected, possess afterwards, as a parliament, unlimited powers. Election, in this case, becomes separated from representation, and the candidates are candidates for despotism.

Government, Political, Politics

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.186

Governments arise either out of the people or over the people.

Government, People, Arise

Thomas Paine (1791). “Rights of Man”, p.57

Taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were raised to carry on taxes.

War, Taxes, Raised

"Selected Writings of Thomas Paine".

The more we bestow the richer we become.

Conservative

Thomas Paine (1797). “The Works of Thomas Paine”, p.164

An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws.

Men, Law, Liberty

Thomas Paine (2016). “THE AMERICAN CRISIS – Revolutionary Work Which Inspired the American People to Fight for Their Independence: Including “The Life of Thomas Paine” – Extensive Biography of the Author”, p.557, e-artnow

The age of ignorance commenced with the Christian system.

Christian, Ignorance, Religion

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.33, e-artnow

Each of those churches shows certain books, which they call revelation, or the Word of God. The Jews say that their Word of God was given by God to Moses face to face; the Christians say, that their Word of God came by divine inspiration; and the Turks say, that their Word of God (the Koran) was brought by an angel from heaven. Each of those churches accuses the other of unbelief; and, for my own part, I disbelieve them all.

Christian, Book, Inspiration

Thomas Paine (1861). “The Age of Reason, etc”, p.2

Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must undertake to support it.

Freedom, Blessing, Support

It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf.

War, Justice, Violence

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.43, e-artnow

The greatest remedy for anger is delay.

Teacher, Crazy, Anger

It is easy to see that when republican virtue fails, slavery ensues.

Slavery, Republican, Failing

Thomas Paine (2014). “Selected Writings of Thomas Paine”, p.19, Yale University Press

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