Thomas Paine

Those who expect the blessings of freedom, must, like men undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

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.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us.

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself.

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.

We have it in our power to begin the world over again.

Spiritual freedom is the root of political liberty...As the union between spiritual freedom and political liberty seems nearly inseparable it is our duty to defend both.

Men did not make the earth... It is the value of the improvements only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property. ... Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds.

Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.

Time makes more converts than reason.

It is the direction and not the magnitude which is to be taken into consideration.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance.

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

Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.

My mind is my own church.

When all other rights are taken away, the right of rebellion is made perfect.

Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.

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.

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.

The deist needs none of those tricks and shows called miracles to confirm his faith for what can be a greater miracle than the creation itself and his own existence

Adam if ever there were such a man was created a Deist but in the mean time let every man follow as he has a right to do the religion and the worship he prefers.

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.

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

Titles are like a magicians wand which circumscribe human facility and prevent us from living the lives of man.

The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security.

The cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf.

Is it not a species of blasphemy to call the New Testament revealed religion, when we see in it such contradictions and absurdities.

My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.

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

Oppression is often the consequence, but seldom or never the means of riches.

The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.

The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph.

Virtues are acquired through endeavor, Which rests wholly upon yourself. So, to praise others for their virtues Can but encourage one's own efforts.

Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.

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

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.

The duty of man is not a wilderness of turnpike gates through which he is to pass by tickets from one to the other. It is plain and simple and consists but of two points his duty God which every man must feel and with respect to his neighbor to do as he would be done by.

These are the times that try men's souls.

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

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.

A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.

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.

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

Human nature is not of itself vicious.

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

The balance of power is the scale of peace.

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.

Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.

Titles are but nicknames, and every nickname is a title.

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.

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.

In Deism our reason and our belief become happily united. The wonderful structure of the universe and everything we behold in the system of the creation prove to us far better than books can do the existence of a God and at the same time proclaim His attributes.

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

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.

There is something in corruption which like a jaundiced eye transfers the color of itself to the object it looks upon and sees everything stained and impure.

Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.

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.

An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.

The Vatican is a dagger in the heart of Italy.

The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.

If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately.

We have it in our power to change the world over.

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.

There is a happiness in Deism when rightly understood that is not to be found inany other system of religion. All other systems have something in them that either shock our reason or are repugnant to it and man if he thinks at all must stifle his reason in order to force himself to believe them.

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

What at first was plunder assumed the softer name of revenue.

Tears may soothe the wounds they cannot heal.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

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.

That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.

The real man smiles in trouble gathers strength from distress and grows brave by reflection.

What we obtain too cheap we esteem too lightly it is dearness only that gives everything its value.

Character is much easier kept than recovered.

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.

Not in numbers but in unity that our great strength lies.

What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; it's dearness only that gives everthing its value.

Government without a constitution is a power without a right.

It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.

I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church by the Roman Church by the Greek Church by the Turkish Church by the Protestant Church nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.

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.

Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.

The protection of a man's person is more sacred than the protection of his property.

'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.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

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.

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.

When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.

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.

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.

The greatest remedy for anger is delay.

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflections.

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress and grows brave by reflection.

Titles do not count with posterity.

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.

Suspicion and persecution are weeds of the same dunghill, and flourish best together.

Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil in its worst state an intolerable one.

Public credit is suspicion asleep.

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