A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
Let them call me rebel, and welcome, I feel no concern from it.
Interpretation
Rejecting societal labels can empower one's sense of identity and purpose.
In this quote, Thomas Paine expresses a fearless attitude towards being labeled a 'rebel.' He finds strength in societal judgment and values his own beliefs over conformity, reinforcing the idea that individual conviction is more significant than public opinion.
In practice
In a speech encouraging youth to embrace their individuality, one might say, 'Let them call me rebel, and welcome, for it is in rebellion that we find our true selves.'
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
We've had enough of exhortations to be silent! Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that the world is rotten because of silence.
Naming things, breaking through taboos and denial is the most dangerous, terrifying, and crucial work. This has to happen in spite of political climates or coercions, in spite of careers being won or lost, in spite of the fear of being criticized, outcast, or disliked. I believe freedom begins with naming things. Humanity is preserved by it.
It is forbidden to go east, but I have gone, forbidden to go on the great river, but I am there. Open your hearts, you spirits, and hear my song.
I am known for a life spent in the struggle for freedom, and freedom includes the freedom of religion.
I think I was the healthiest prisoner of conscience in the world.
The worst insult you can give a professional athlete is to call them soft. And the stereotype out there is that gay is soft.
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