Thomas Paine Quotes

• 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

  Topics in Progress, Wisdom

  Tags in Taxes, War, Certain, Thing, Human

• Human nature is not of itself vicious.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Nature

  Tags in Human

• Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Reason, Ignorance

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

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Fear, Power

  Tags in Consists, Resistance, Strength

• The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related, that it is difficult to class them separately. One step above the sublime makes the ridiculous, and one step above the ridiculous makes the sublime again.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Time makes more converts than reason.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Time, Reason

• The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Mistake

  Tags in Reason

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

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Possibilities, Reason

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Against, Better, Faith, Tyranny, Real

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

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Government, State, Even, Necessary

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Side, Like, Must, Feet

• 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

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Mischief, World, Property

• It is an affront to treat falsehood with complaisance.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Treat, Falsehood

• 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

  Topics in Religion

  Tags in See

• 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.

  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.

  I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But 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

  Topics in Belief, Religion

  Tags in Integrity/Individuality, Religious Freedom, Hypocrisy, Christianity, Faith

• We hold the moral obligation of providing for old age, helpless infancy, and poverty is far superior to that of supplying the invented wants of courtly extravagance.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Justice

  Tags in Government, Poverty

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

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in War, Time

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

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Every

• 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

  Topics in Death

  Tags in Nation, War, Hell

• The Vatican is a dagger in the heart of Italy.

  Thomas Paine

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Heart

Thomas Paine (74)

Birth:	29th January, 1737
Death:	8th June, 1809
Nationality:	American, British
Profession:	Activist, Author, Theorist

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