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If those to whom power is delegated do well, they will be respected; if not, they will be despised.

Thomas Paine

All churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, are simply human inventions. They use fear to enslave us. They are a monopoly for power and profit.
THOMAS PAINE

Fear Human Invention Power Profit Religion
Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.
THOMAS PAINE

Angry Principle Vice Virtue
One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.
THOMAS PAINE

Goodness Priest Worth
To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.
THOMAS PAINE

Administration Argument Atheist Authority Humanity Man Medicine Philosophy Reason Scripture
A nation under a well regulated government, should permit none to remain uninstructed. It is monarchical and aristocratical government only that requires ignorance for its support.
THOMAS PAINE

Government Ignorance Nation Politics Support
It is important that we should never lose sight of this distinction. We must not confuse the peoples with their governments.
THOMAS PAINE

Government Important Lose People Sight
What is it the Bible teaches us? – raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? – to believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married, and the belief of this debauchery is called faith.
THOMAS PAINE

Commitment Cruelty Faith Marriage Murder Rape Teaching Woman
Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other, influence the great bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive in a country, the machinery of Government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself; and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
THOMAS PAINE

Easy Government Greatness Ignorance Influence Kind Man Reason
Christianity is the strangest religion ever set up, for it committed a murder upon Jesus in order to redeem mankind from the sin of eating an apple.
THOMAS PAINE

Commitment Eat Kind Man Murder People Religion Sin Strange
The slavery of fear had made men afraid to think.
THOMAS PAINE

Afraid Fear Man One Liner Slave Thinking
He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
THOMAS PAINE

Dare Himself Honesty Offend
Character is much easier kept than recovered.
THOMAS PAINE

Character Easy Recovery
When extraordinary power and extraordinary pay are allotted to any individual in a government, he becomes the center, round which every kind of corruption generates and forms.
THOMAS PAINE

Extraordinary Generation Government Kind Pay Power
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
THOMAS PAINE

Blessing Expectation Freedom Man Support
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
THOMAS PAINE

Children Day Myself Peace Trouble
Beware the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry.
THOMAS PAINE

Government Greedy Hands Organization
Virtue is not hereditary.
THOMAS PAINE

Inheritance One Liner Virtue
It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error.
THOMAS PAINE

Ability Error Illusion Man Responsibility
I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace.
THOMAS PAINE

Children Choice Live Myself Peace Time Trouble
The Deist needs none of those tricks and shows called miracles to confirm his faith, for what can be a greater miracle than the creation itself, and his own existence?
THOMAS PAINE

Creation Existence Faith Greatness Miracle Need Trick
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
THOMAS PAINE

Angel Character God Man Reputation Thinking Woman
To take away voting is to reduce a man to slavery.
THOMAS PAINE

Man Slave Vote
Rights are not gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another. It is impossible to discover any origin of rights otherwise than in the origin of man; it consequently follows that rights appertain to man in right of his existence, and must therefore be equal to every man.
THOMAS PAINE

Discover Equality Existence Gift Impossible Man Right
I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.
THOMAS PAINE

Change Man Myself Opinion Present Right Slave Support
It has been the political career of this man to begin with hypocrisy, proceed with arrogance, and finish with contempt.
THOMAS PAINE

Arrogance Beginning Career Hypocrisy Politics
It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf.
THOMAS PAINE

Expectation Justice Madness Mercy Murder Trick Violence War Wolf
Government is best which governs least.
THOMAS PAINE

Government Politics Rule

If those to whom power is delegated do well, they will be respected; if not, they will be despised.

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If those to whom power is delegated do well, they will be respected; if not, they will be despised.

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Popular Authors

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