"Explore the world of Thomas Paine's profound thoughts with this rich compilation of quotes. Paine, a key figure in the American Revolution, was a master of language whose words still resonate today. This article is divided into ten thoughtfully crafted sections, each highlighting a different aspect of Paine's insights through some of his most compelling quotes. Whether you are seeking inspiration in human rights, insights on leadership, or the courage to pursue change, you'll find his words as relevant today as they were centuries ago. Prepare to be enlightened, challenged, and motivated by the timeless wisdom of Thomas Paine."
The Power of Human Rights Quotes
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."
"The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it."
"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right."
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest."
"Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself."
"The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason."
"Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess."
"A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody."
"Rights are not gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another."
"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."
"Man is not the enemy of man but through the medium of a false system of government."
Liberty and Freedom Quotes
"Whatever is morally right can never be politically wrong, and what is morally wrong can never be politically right."
"Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society."
"When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary."
"Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness."
"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
"The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country."
"Virtues are acquired through endeavor, which rests wholly upon yourself."
"It is your business, when the wall stands crooked, to set it straight."
"In nature's simplest plan nothing is more obscure than the step from thinking to acting."
"The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark."
"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 could pretend to."
"We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in."
On Government Quotes
"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."
"The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance."
"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes."
"The trade of governing has always been monopolized by the most ignorant and the most rascally individuals of mankind."
"The greatest tyranny of government operates on men’s minds by pomposity and ostentation rather than coercive force."
"It is not the time for the tranquilization of convictions, but a time when it is necessary to ostracize erroneous principles by reason."
"The kites of tyranny shall no more force us into silent retreats."
"A constitution is not the act of a government, but of a people constituting a government, and a government without a constitution is power without a right."
"To establish any mode to abolish prejudice of the mind is the grand desideratum of republicanism."
"The duty of the Government is to leave commerce to its own self, for it is its own master when not interfered with by cunning."
"The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind."
"The government should be watched with a jealous eye, and when found not very heedful of the interests of the people, must be borne with no longer than necessary."
Courage to Change Quotes
"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection."
"To argue with a man who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead."
"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
"Every generation needs a new revolution."
"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection."
"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good."
"Truth once discovered can never perish."
"Every problem has a solution, however difficult it might be."
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
"Life without liberty is like a body without spirit."
"I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace."
Revolutionary Thoughts Quotes
"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error."
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now."
"Reputation is what men and I thought you were. Character is what God and angels know you are."
"I offer nothing to prove this shift but simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense."
"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property."
"The duty of a true patriot is to protect his country from its government."
"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."
"Character is much easier kept than recovered."
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value."
"These are the times that try men's souls."
"It is not in numbers but in unity that strength lies."
"The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance."
Society and Its Fabric Quotes
"Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices."
"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."
"To argue with a man who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead."
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it."
"A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody."
"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."
"We can make no greater mistake than to suppose that a society without universal principles is somehow improved."
"Society governs individuals by customs and not by laws; society legislates by normative commands, while laws serve as restraints."
"The binding principles of a society by individuals acknowledged perspectives, concerning the balance of good and evil, remain constant across cultures."
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must band together with others to guard against oppression and violence."
"In our efforts to find simplicity to any topic in life, we must balance our desire for resolution against the understanding that life is infinitely multifaceted."
"Society, when it eventually distills to its purest form, will only dictate upon its members to live in truth."
Religion and Belief in Quotes
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church."
"Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man."
"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."
"Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system."
"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."
"The Word of God is in the Creation we behold, and it is in this Word, which no human invention can counterfeit or alter, that God speaketh universally to man."
"My religion is to do good."
"Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other, influence the great mass of mankind."
"The true Deist has but one Deity; and, as true religion consists in adoration of, and gratitude to, this one Deity, it is necessary, in order for a man to be a true Deist, that he knows what he believes."
"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."
"Every man must be supposed a knave until he prove himself honest."
Reflections on Wisdom and Knowledge Quotes
"The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark."
"Time makes more converts than reason."
"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection."
"A little matter will move a party, but it must be something great that moves a nation."
"Character is much easier kept than recovered."
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest."
"The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related that it is difficult to class them separately."
"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry."
"There are two distinct classes of what is called thoughts: those that we produce in ourselves by reflection, and those that bolt into the mind of their own accord."
"Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it."
"Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us."
"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."
Ethics and Morals Quotes
"Virtue is not hereditary."
"It is ridiculous to suppose that birth can entitle one man above another."
"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."
"We must always remember that he is the best man who, with the means at his disposal, becomes the most upright."
"The harder the influence the sweeter the triumph."
"Character is much easier kept than recovered."
"To establish any mode to abolish prejudice of the mind is the grand desideratum of republicanism."
"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees."
"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."
"It is impossible that there should be any such thing as religion divorced from morality."
"Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity."
"Lead, follow, or get out of the way."
The Fabric of Change Quotes
"Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better."
"Time makes more converts than reason."
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression."
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now."
"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."
"One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests."
"The object of a revolution, is to bring about a greater degree of liberty and happiness to the people."
"Reputation is what men and women think of us; Character is what God and angels know of us."
"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."
"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."
"Loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad."
"The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related, that it is difficult to class them separately."
Final words
"Thomas Paine's writings continue to illuminate and challenge us, transcending time and cultures. By delving into his thoughts, we witness his unwavering fight for human rights, liberty, and rationality, all of which remain cornerstone principles in today's discourse on global justice. His revolutionary spirit served as a guiding beacon in turbulent times, reminding us of our power to facilitate change through courage and resolve. Paine’s legacy is not just a relic of history but a bridge to understanding our collective struggles against injustice. His words call us to action, compel us to introspection, and offer wisdom as we navigate the moral complexities of our age. In embracing Paine’s enduring truths, may we find the inspiration to continue the work that he so passionately championed, building a world more anchored in equity, freedom, and unity."
