A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Thomas Paine emphasizes the war as a struggle for the people's rights and property, not just a conflict between nations.
In this quote, Thomas Paine articulates the idea that the American Revolution represents more than a battle between America and Britain; it is fundamentally a fight undertaken by the people for their inherent rights and possessions. He highlights the collective ownership of the war's cause, framing it as a struggle for liberty and justice that affects every citizen, thus reinforcing the concept of national identity and personal agency in the pursuit of freedom.
Themes
WarFreedomRightsPropertyRevolution
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for civil rights, one might say, 'As Thomas Paine stated, we must recognize that our fight is not just against oppression but for the protection of our natural rights.'
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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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.
Thomas PaineRead
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.
Thomas PaineRead
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
Thomas PaineRead
Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.
Thomas PaineRead
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I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive.
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And I, the former mystic, was thinking: Yes, man is stronger, greater than God. When Adam and Eve deceived You, You chased them from paradise. When You were displeased by Noah’s generation, You brought down the Flood. When Sodom lost Your favour, You caused the heavens to rain down fire and damnation. But look at these men whom You have betrayed, allowing them to be tortured, slaughtered, gassed, and burned, what do they do? They pray before You! They praise Your name!
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