Top 25 Quotes by Thomas Paine of 526 - Page 7

In reviewing the history of the English Government, its wars and its taxes, a bystander, not blinded by prejudice nor warped by interest, would declare that taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were

In reviewing the history of the English Government, its wars and its taxes, a bystander, not blinded by prejudice nor warped by interest, would declare that taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were raised to carry on taxes.

Thomas Paine

War, Bystanders, Government

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.223, e-artnow

It is painful to behold a man employing his talents to corrupt himself.

Thomas Paine

Men, Political, Politics

Thomas Paine (1791). “Rights of Man”, p.26

How strangely is antiquity treated! To answer some purposes it is spoken of as the times of darkness and ignorance, and to answer others, it is put for the light of the world.

Thomas Paine

Ignorance, Light, History

Thomas Paine (1848). “Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.108

Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself.

Thomas Paine

Age, Generations

Thomas Paine (1791). “Rights of Man”, p.11

We can only reason from what is; we can reason on actualities, but not on possibilities.

Thomas Paine

Motivation, Reason, Possibility

When the rich plunder the poor of his rights, it becomes an example for the poor to plunder the rich of his property, for the rights of the one are as much property to him as wealth is property to the other, and the little all is as dear as the much. It is only by setting out on just principles that men are trained to be just to each other; and it will always be found, that when the rich protect the rights of the poor, the poor will protect the property of the rich. But the guarantee, to be effectual, must be parliamentarily reciprocal.

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.310

No nation ought to be without a debt. A national debt is a national bond; and when it bears no interest, is in no case a grievance.

Thomas Paine

Debt, Bears, Cases

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.27, Ravenio Books

Before anything can be reasoned upon to a conclusion, certain facts, principles, or data, to reason from, must be established, admitted, or denied.

Thomas Paine

Data, Principles, Facts

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.59, Ravenio Books

It is a fraud of the Christian system to call the sciences human invention; it is only the application of them that is human.

Thomas Paine

Christian, Science, Invention

1794 TheAge of Reason, pt.1.

If any generation of men ever possessed the right of dictating the mode by which the world should be governed for ever, it was the first generation that existed; and if that generation did it not, no succeeding generation can show any authority for doing it, nor can set any up.

Thomas Paine

Men, Firsts, Succeed

Thomas Paine (1852). “The Rights of Man: With a Brief Historical Preface”, p.29

He who is the author of a war lets loose the whole contagion of hell and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death.

Thomas Paine

Motivation, War, Government

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.58, e-artnow

Time makes more converts than reason.

Thomas Paine

Life, Time, Motivation

Thomas Paine, John P. Kaminski (2002). “Citizen Paine: Thomas Paine's Thoughts on Man, Government, Society, and Religion”, p.228, Rowman & Littlefield

I have as little superstition in me as any man living, but my secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction, or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so repeatedly sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which wisdom could invent. Neither have I so much of the infidel in me, as to suppose that He has relinquished the government of the world, and given us up to the care of devils.

Thomas Paine

Giving Up, Military, War

Thomas Paine (2008). “The American Crisis”, p.7, Cosimo, Inc.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

Thomas Paine

Inspirational, Christian, Atheist

Thomas Paine (1821). “The Theological Works of Thomas Paine”, p.2

Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law.

Thomas Paine

Motivation, Law, Religion

The Rights of Man pt. 1 (1791)

The error of those who reason by precedents drawn from antiquity, respecting the rights of man, is that they do not go far enough into antiquity.

Thomas Paine

Men, Errors, Rights

Thomas Paine (1791). “Rights of Man”, p.47

Public money ought to be touched with the most scrupulous consciousness of honor.

Thomas Paine

Political, Honor, Politics

Thomas Paine, John P. Kaminski (2002). “Citizen Paine: Thomas Paine's Thoughts on Man, Government, Society, and Religion”, p.47, Rowman & Littlefield

The countries the most famous and the most respected of antiquity are those which distinguished themselves by promoting and patronizing science, and on the contrary those which neglected or discouraged it are universally denominated rude and barbarous.

Thomas Paine

Country, Rude, Atheism

The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of representatives is in this case.

Thomas Paine

Pain, Men, Rights

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.724, e-artnow

One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we have seen what priestcraft and fanaticism can do, and credulity believe.

Thomas Paine

Believe, Thinking, Scripture

Thomas Paine (1861). “The Age of Reason, etc”, p.91

The essential psychological requirement of a free society is the willingness on the part of the individual to accept responsibility for his life. - Edith Packer When the government fears the people, it is liberty. When the people fear the government, it is tyranny.

Thomas Paine

Responsibility, Government, People

Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter we are known at home, by the former to the world. Our great title is AMERICANS.

Thomas Paine

4th Of July, Home, Character

Thomas Paine (2011). “Thomas Paine on Liberty: Including Common Sense and Other Writings”, p.92, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.

Thomas Paine

Happiness, Motivation, Integrity

The Age of Reason pt. 1 (1794)