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Home
Authors
Thomas Paine
English
Writer
About the author
But such is the irresistable nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants is the liberty of appearing.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Liberty
#Truth
#Nature
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#State
#Evil
#Government
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,
English
Writer
#Death
#War
#Hell
#Nation
He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Will
#Enemy
#Liberty
#Duty
#Oppression
He that rebels against reason is a real rebel, but he that in defence of reason rebels against tyranny has a better title to Defender of the Faith, than George the Third.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Reason
#Faith
#Tyranny
Every science has for its basis a system of principles as fixed and unalterable as those by which the universe is regulated and governed. Man cannot make principles; he can only discover them.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Science
#Man
#Universe
#Principles
Character is much easier kept than recovered.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Character
Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#God
#Man
#Belief
The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#World
#Country
#Religion
#Mankind
The whole religious complexion of the modern world is due to the absence from Jerusalem of a lunatic asylum.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#World
#Absence
#Religious
The Vatican is a dagger in the heart of Italy.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Heart
#Italy
The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Strength
#Fear
#Power
The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Strength
#Trouble
#Man
#Reflection
#Smiles
Time makes more converts than reason.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Time
#Reason
Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#World
#Law
#Order
#Property
Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be true.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Mind
#Religion
An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Principles
#Army
#Soldiers
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,
English
Writer
#Power
#Christian
#Mankind
#Profit
#Inventions
#Churches
A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Virtue
#Vice
#Temper
#Moderation
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Right
#Thinking
#Being
#Habit
#Wrong
#Appearance
Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Man
#Religion
When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Thinking
#Liberty
#Men
#Yield
#Shadow
#Privilege
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Value
We have it in our power to begin the world over again.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#World
#Power
We can only reason from what is; we can reason on actualities, but not on possibilities.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Possibilities
#Reason
War involves in its progress such a train of unforeseen circumstances that no human wisdom can calculate the end; it has but one thing certain, and that is to increase taxes.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#End
#War
#Circumstances
#Progress
#Wisdom
#Taxes
I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Love
#Will
#Death
#Strength
#Heart
#Trouble
#Smile
#Man
#Business
#Principles
#Conscience
#Reflection
Virtues are acquired through endeavor, Which rests wholly upon yourself. So, to praise others for their virtues Can but encourage one's own efforts.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Praise
To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is to make poverty their choice, and to say they had rather be loaded with taxes than not.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#People
#Freedom
#Poverty
#Choice
#Taxes
When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Virtue
#Planning
#Posterity
My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#World
#Country
#Religion
I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Man
#Justice
#Equality
#Religious
#Mercy
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Conflict
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Day
#Trouble
#May
#Peace
If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
Is it not a species of blasphemy to call the New Testament revealed religion, when we see in it such contradictions and absurdities.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Religion
#New testament
It is an affront to treat falsehood with complaisance.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Falsehood
It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Truth
#Error
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,
English
Writer
#Man
#Happiness
#Infidelity
It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause, that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Will
#Enemy
#Cause
#Defeat
#Battle
#Consequences
To establish any mode to abolish war, however advantageous it might be to Nations, would be to take from such Government the most lucrative of its branches.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#War
#Government
#Nations
It is the direction and not the magnitude which is to be taken into consideration.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Consideration
#Direction
Human nature is not of itself vicious.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Nature
#Human nature
The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Security
#Government
#Society
#Act
#Interest
Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Virtue
#Vice
#Temper
#Moderation
It is not a God, just and good, but a devil, under the name of God, that the Bible describes.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#God
#Bible
#Name
#Devil
My mind is my own church.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Mind
#Church
Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Religion
#Tyranny
#Mankind
One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
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,
English
Writer
#Law
#Religion
#Persecution
Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Reason
#Ignorance
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Character
#God
#Men
#Women
#Angels
#Reputation
Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#State
#Evil
#Government
#Society
Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Society
#Suspicion
That God cannot lie, is no advantage to your argument, because it is no proof that priests can not, or that the Bible does not.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#God
#Bible
#Argument
#Lie
#Proof
That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
The abilities of man must fall short on one side or the other, like too scanty a blanket when you are abed. If you pull it upon your shoulders, your feet are left bare; if you thrust it down to your feet, your shoulders are uncovered.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Man
#Feet
The greatest remedy for anger is delay.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Anger
#Delay
Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
These are the times that try men's souls.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Men
Titles are but nicknames, and every nickname is a title.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Titles
'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Will
#Death
#Heart
#Business
#Principles
#Conscience
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Freedom
#Men
#Blessings
#Fatigue
The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#Reason
#Errors
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,
English
Writer
#Thinking
#Act
#Mind
#Reflection
There are matters in the Bible, said to be done by the express commandment of God, that are shocking to humanity and to every idea we have of moral justice.
Thomas Paine,
English
Writer
#God
#Bible
#Idea
#Justice
#Humanity