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From the east to the west blow the trumpet to arms! Through the land let the sound of it flee; Let the far and the near all unite, with a cheer, In defense of our Liberty Tree.

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
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
A Constitution is not the act of a Government, but of a people constituting a government, and a government without a constitution is a power without right.
THOMAS PAINE

Act Constitution Government People Power Right
A constitution defines and limits the powers of the government it creates. It therefore follows, as a natural and also a logical result, that the governmental exercise of any power not authorized by the constitution is an assumed power, and therefore illegal.
THOMAS PAINE

Constitution Exercise Government Illegal Limitation Logic Natural Power Result
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
Taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were raised to carry on taxes.
THOMAS PAINE

Carry Deep Tax War
I consider the war of America against Britain as the country’s war, the public’s war, or the war of the people in their own behalf, for the security of their natural rights, and the protection of their own property.
THOMAS PAINE

Country People Property Protection Security War
Beware the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry.
THOMAS PAINE

Government Greedy Hands Organization
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
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
Freedom had been hunted round the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing.
THOMAS PAINE

Appearance Freedom Liberty Nature Reason Rebel Truth
The greatest tyrannies are always perpetuated in the name of the noblest causes.
THOMAS PAINE

Destruction Disguise Greatness Name Noble
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
For though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.
THOMAS PAINE

Coal Flame Liberty Shine
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
THOMAS PAINE

Appearance Habit Right Thinking Wrong
The Bible is a book that has been read more and examined less than any book that ever existed.
THOMAS PAINE

Book Existence Reading
Government is not a trade which any man or body of men has a right to set up and exercise for his own emolument, but is altogether a trust, in right of those by whom that trust is delegated, and by whom it is always resumable. It has of itself no rights; they are altogether duties.
THOMAS PAINE

Body Government Man Right Togetherness Trust
The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.
THOMAS PAINE

Darkness Enlightenment Mindset
When all other rights are taken away, the right of rebellion is made perfect.
THOMAS PAINE

Perfection Rebel Right
Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.
THOMAS PAINE

Angry Principle Vice Virtue
It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies.
THOMAS PAINE

Greatness Power Strength Unity
Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.
THOMAS PAINE

Enemy Fight Greatness Oneself Philosophy
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
In Deism our reason and our belief become happily united. The wonderful structure of the universe, and everything we behold in the system of the creation, prove to us, far better than books can do, the existence of a God, and at the same time proclaim His attributes.
THOMAS PAINE

Belief Creation Existence Happiness Himself Reason Time Unity Universe Wonderful
The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance.
THOMAS PAINE

Fear Power Resistance Strength
Religion is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize humankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it as I detest everything that is cruel.
THOMAS PAINE

Corruption Cruelty History Human Kind Religion Service Sincere
The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of representatives is in this case.
THOMAS PAINE

Election Himself Man Protection Representation Right Slave Vote

From the east to the west blow the trumpet to arms! Through the land let the sound of it flee; Let the far and the near all unite, with a cheer, In defense of our Liberty Tree.

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From the east to the west blow the trumpet to arms! Through the land let the sound of it flee; Let the far and the near all unite, with a cheer, In defense of our Liberty Tree.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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