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Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.

Thomas Paine

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
To take away voting is to reduce a man to slavery.
THOMAS PAINE

Man Slave Vote
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
Virtue is not hereditary.
THOMAS PAINE

Inheritance One Liner Virtue
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
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
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
If I do not believe as you believe, it proves that you do not believe as I believe, and that is all that it proves.
THOMAS PAINE

Believe Evidence Myself Philosophy Yourself
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
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
THOMAS PAINE

Light Value Worth
When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to [profess] things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime.
THOMAS PAINE

Believe Corruption Crime Himself Man Mindset Preparation Prostitution
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
THOMAS PAINE

Deserve Man Patriot Shine Soldier Soul Stand Sun Thankful Time Try Woman
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

Appearance Habit Reason Time Wrong
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
Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must undertake to support it.
THOMAS PAINE

Blessing Expectation Freedom Support
It is easy to see that when republican virtue fails, slavery ensues.
THOMAS PAINE

Easy Politics See Slave Virtue

Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.

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Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.

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