Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was an English-born political writer and Revolutionary propagandist. His writings convinced many American colonists of the need for independence. He remains an idol to revolutionaries, liberals, socialists, atheists, and freethinkers due to his various writings.
Born in Thetford, England, Paine was a self-educated man. He failed at or was unhappy in every job he tried for the first 24 years of his adult life. After meeting Benjamin Franklin in London and establishing contacts, Paine moved to America and began writing for the Pennsylvania Magazine, of which he became the editor for six months. His contributions included an attack on the institution of slavery.
Paine’s literary eloquence received recognition with the appearance of his 79-page pamphlet titled Common Sense (1776.) With it’s striking diplomatic, commercial, and political arguments in favor of separation from Britain, Paine’s powerful appeal for immediate independence laid the ground for the American Declaration of Independence. Common Sense was an instant success. Newspapers in other colonies reprinted all or part of it. George Washington acknowledged it for mobilizing a “powerful change” in the colonies’ sentiment toward Britain.
After working for the American cause during the remainder of the Revolution, Paine returned to England in 1787. He published The Rights of Man (1791,) in which he vigorously defended republican principles and called Englishmen to arms to overthrow their monarchy. His radical views prompted the British government to indict him for treason. He fled to France and supported the French Revolution.
During a year of imprisonment in France, Paine wrote The Age of Reason (1794,) an attack on orthodox Christianity. It was viewed as a direct attack on the irrationality of revealed religion and defense of deism. The book evoked many angry responses—it was denounced as atheistic and suppressed in England. The Age of Reason is now recognized as one of the most lucid expositions of the rationalist theism of the Enlightenment.
Paine returned to America in 1802 and lived a quiet life until he died in obscurity. Despite the significant contributions made during his lifetime, he was marginalized due to his religious skepticism. He had also already irritated the British (with Common Sense and The Rights of Man,) was not in good terms with the French (because of his opposition the execution of King Louis XVI,) and the Americans (due to his criticism of George Washington.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Thomas Paine
A bad cause will never be supported by bad means and bad men.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Reason
Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself in all cases as the ages and generations which preceded it. The vanity of governing beyond the grave is the most ridiculous and insolent of all tyrannies.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Generations
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: Integrity
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Angels, Character, Reputation
If there is a country in the world where concord, according to common calculation, would be least expected, it is America. Made up as it is of people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habits of government, speaking different languages, and more different in their modes of worship, it would appear that the union of such a people was impracticable; but by the simple operation of constructing government on the principles of society and the rights of man, every difficulty retires, and all the parts are brought into cordial unison. There the poor are not oppressed, the rich are not privileged. Industry is not mortified by the splendid extravagance of a court rioting at its expense. Their taxes are few, because their government is just: and as there is nothing to render them wretched, there is nothing to engender riots and tumults.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: America
Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Religion
Nothing but heaven is impregnable to vice.
—Thomas Paine
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.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Reason
Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Bible, Religion
Every thing that is right or natural pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, “’tis time to part.”
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Democracy
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.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Thinking
Though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Liberty
For all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have a right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others for ever.
—Thomas Paine
Political Liberty consists in the power of doing whatever does not injure another. The exercise of the natural rights of every [human], has no other limits than those which are necessary to secure to every other [human] the free exercise of the same rights.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Wildlife
The duty of man is plain and simple, and consists but of two points; his duty to God, which every man must feel; and his duty to his neighbor, to do as he would be done by.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Duty
The strength of one man is so unequal to his wants, and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged to seek assistance and relief of another.
—Thomas Paine
The whole religious complexion of the modern world is due to the absence from Jerusalem of a lunatic asylum.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Religion
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
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Arguments
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.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Moderation, Vice, Principles, Balance
An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Soldiers, Army
Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Reason
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.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Liberty, Government, Oppression
The reformation was preceded by the discovery of America, as if the Almighty graciously meant to open a sanctuary to the persecuted in future years, when home should afford neither friendship nor safety.
—Thomas Paine
Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Government
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Appearance, Integrity, Thinking
Human nature is not of itself vicious.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Human Nature, Humanity
Oppression is often the consequence, but seldom or never the means of riches; and though avarice will preserve a man from being necessitously poor, it generally makes him too timorous to be wealthy.
—Thomas Paine
Youth is the seed time of good habits, as well in nations as in individuals.
—Thomas Paine
Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Doubt
Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of—for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Reputation
As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of all government, to protect all conscientious professors thereof, and I know of no other business which government hath to do therewith.
—Thomas Paine
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.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Conscience, Strength, Men, Smile, Brave
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.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: War
When it becomes necessary to do a thing, the whole heart and soul should go into the measure, or not attempt it.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Trying
Compassion, the fairest associate of the heart.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Compassion
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; ‘Tis dearness only that gives everything its value.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Obstacles
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Thinking, Defense, Thought, Time, Change, Reason, Habit, Thoughts
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Freedom, Independence, Blessings
Character is much easier kept than recovered.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Character, Integrity
Panics, in some cases, have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them and acquires a firmer habit than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that they are the touchstone of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men to light, which might have lain forever undiscovered.
—Thomas Paine
Topics: Hypocrisy
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