A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world not destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside ... Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them ... the weak will become prey to the strong.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance of power to ensure peace.
Thomas Paine explores the concept that power maintains peace in society. He argues that if all countries or people had equal access to power (or arms), then there would be no fear of oppression, and peace would be naturally upheld. However, if one group is disarmed while others retain their weapons, it could lead to violence and domination of the weak by the strong, illustrating the fragile nature of peace and security.
Themes
PowerPeaceArmsBalanceStrengthWeakness
In practice
Example use cases
During a peace rally, one might quote this to emphasize the need for disarmament.
More from Thomas Paine
All quotes →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.
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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.
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Had the news of salvation by Jesus Christ been inscribed on the face of the sun and the moon, in characters that all nations would have understood, the whole earth had known it in twenty-four hours, and all nations would have believed it; whereas, though it is now almost two thousand years since, as they tell us, Christ came upon earth, not a twentieth part of the people of the earth know anything of it, and among those who do, the wiser part do not believe it.
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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.
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To reason with goverments, as they have existed for ages, is to argue with brutes. It is only from the nations themselves that reforms can be expected
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