Top 25 Quotes by Thomas Paine of 526 - Page 6

If those to whom power is delegated do well, they will be respected; if not, they will be despised.

If those to whom power is delegated do well, they will be respected; if not, they will be despised.

Political, Politics, Wells

Thomas Paine (1791). “Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.51

I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of humans; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow creatures happy.

Thomas Paine

Life, Happiness, Religious

The Age of Reason pt. 1 (1794)

Man must go back to nature for information.

Thomas Paine

Nature, Men, Information

Thomas Paine (2016). “The Rights of Man”, p.113, Xist Publishing

I have never made it a consideration whether the subject was popular or unpopular, but whether it was right or wrong; for that which is right will become popular, and that which is wrong, though by mistake it may obtain the cry or fashion of the day, will soon lose the power of delusion, and sink into disesteem.

Thomas Paine

Fashion, Mistake, May

Thomas Paine (2015). “Common Sense, The Crisis, & Other Writings from the American Revolution: (Library of America Paperback Classic)”, p.407, Library of America

When it becomes necessary to do a thing, the whole heart and soul should go into the measure, or not attempt it.

Thomas Paine

Heart, Soul, Trying

Thomas Paine, John P. Kaminski (2002). “Citizen Paine: Thomas Paine's Thoughts on Man, Government, Society, and Religion”, p.116, Rowman & Littlefield

It has been the scheme of the Christian Church, and of all the other invented systems of religion, to hold man in ignorance of the Creator, as it is of Government to hold man in ignorance of his rights. The systems of the one are as false as those of the other, and are calculated for mutual support.

Thomas Paine

Christian, Ignorance, Men

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.488, e-artnow

Those who knew Benjamin Franklin will recollect that his mind was forever young, his temper ever serene; science, that never grows gray, was always his mistress. He was never without an object, for when we cease to have an object, we become like an invalid in a hospital waiting for death.

Thomas Paine

Life, Waiting, Forever

The end of all political associations is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man; and these rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance of oppression.

Thomas Paine

Men, Rights, Political

Thomas Paine (1830). “The Political Writings of Thomas Paine ...: Prospects on the Rubicon. Rights of man, part I. Rights of man, part II. Letter to the authors of the Republican. Letter to the Abbe Sieyes. Address to the addressers. Letters to Lord Onslow. Dissertation on the first principles of government. Speech delivered in the French National convention. Letter to Mr. Secretary Dundas. The decline and fall of the English system of finance. Letter to the people of France. Reasons for preserving the life of Louis”, p.112

The mind, in discovering truths, acts in the same manner as it acts through the eye in discovering objects; when once any object has been seen, it is impossible to put the mind back to the same condition it was in before it saw it.

Thomas Paine

Truth, Eye, Mind

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.100, Ravenio Books

I consider the war of America against Britain as the country's war, the public's war, or the war of the people in their own behalf, for the security of their natural rights, and the protection of their own property.

Thomas Paine

Country, War, Rights

Thomas Paine (1819). “The American Crisis”, p.154

Natural rights are those which always appertain to man in right of his existence. Of this kind are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind, and also all those rights of acting as an individual for his own comfort and happiness, which are not injurious to the rights of others.

Thomas Paine

Men, Rights, Mind

Thomas Paine (1830). “The Political Writings of Thomas Paine ...: Prospects on the Rubicon. Rights of man, part I. Rights of man, part II. Letter to the authors of the Republican. Letter to the Abbe Sieyes. Address to the addressers. Letters to Lord Onslow. Dissertation on the first principles of government. Speech delivered in the French National convention. Letter to Mr. Secretary Dundas. The decline and fall of the English system of finance. Letter to the people of France. Reasons for preserving the life of Louis”, p.73

The more acquisitions the government makes abroad, the more taxes the people have to pay at home.

Thomas Paine

Home, Government, People

Thomas Paine (1835). “The Political Writings of Thomas Paine: To which is Prefixed a Brief Sketch of the Author's Life”, p.430

Practical religion consists in doing good: and the only way of serving God is that of endeavoring to make His creation happy. All preaching that has not this for its object is nonsense and hypocrisy.

Thomas Paine

God, Peace, Truth

Thomas Paine, John P. Kaminski (2002). “Citizen Paine: Thomas Paine's Thoughts on Man, Government, Society, and Religion”, p.196, Rowman & Littlefield

...for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.

Thomas Paine

Flames, Shining, Liberty

Thomas Paine, Bruce Kuklick (2000). “Paine: Political Writings”, p.53, Cambridge University Press

Ignorance is of a peculiar nature; once dispelled, it is impossible to reestablish it. It is not originally a thing of itself, but is only the absence of knowledge; and though man may be kept ignorant, he cannot be made ignorant.

Thomas Paine

Ignorance, Men, Ignorant

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.100, Ravenio Books

There are two distinct classes of what are called thoughts: those that we produce in ourselves by reflection and the act of thinking and those that bolt into the mind of their own accord.

Thomas Paine

Reflection, Thinking, Class

Thomas Paine (1826). “The age of reason”, p.36

As priestcraft was always the enemy of knowledge, because priestcraft supports itself by keeping people in delusion and ignorance, it was consistent with its policy to make the acquisition of knowledge a real sin.

Thomas Paine

Real, Ignorance, People

Thomas Paine (1859). “The Theological Works”, p.344

Man did not enter society to be worse off, or to have fewer rights, but rather to have those rights better secured

Thomas Paine

Men, Rights, Fewer

As to the book called the bible, it is blasphemy to call it the Word of God. It is a book of lies and contradictions and a history of bad times and bad men.

Thomas Paine

Christian, Religious, Lying

Thomas Paine (1854). “The Works of Thomas Paine: A Hero in the American Revolution. With an Account of His Life ...”, p.245

Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be true.

Thomas Paine

Children, Motivation, Fear

The Age of Reason pt. 1 (1794)

That there are men in all countries who get their living by war, and by keeping up the quarrels of Nations is as shocking as it is true.

Thomas Paine

Country, Money, War

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.331, e-artnow

The Grecians and Romans were strongly possessed of the spirit of liberty but not the principle, for at the time they were determined not to be slaves themselves, they employed their power to enslave the rest of mankind.

Thomas Paine

Government, Liberty, Principles

Thomas Paine (1819). “The American Crisis”, p.83

In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense; and have no other preliminaries to settle with the reader, than that he will divest himself of prejudice and repossession, and suffer his reason and feelings to determine for themselves; and that he will put on, or rather that he will not put off, the true character of man, and generously enlarge his view beyond the present day.

Thomas Paine

Character, Science, Simple

The Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the sun, in which they put a man called Christ in the place of the sun, and pay him the adoration originally payed to the sun.

Thomas Paine

Christian, Men, Religion