Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Thomas Paine

Quote by Thomas Paine

“The most horrible wickedness and cruelties, and the greatest miseries that have troubled the human race began with this thing called revelation, or revealed religion. ... It would be far, far better for us to let a thousand devils roam the world, and publicly preach the doctrine of devils (if there were such a thing, which there isn't), than to let one impostor and monster such a Moses, Joshua, Samuel or the Bible prophets come speaking the so-called word of God, and causing men to believe it.”

Quote by Thomas Paine

Create image

Author

Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine, born on February 9, 1737, and died on June 8, 1809, was a prominent American writer, political figure, and philosopher during the American Revolutionary War. He is renowned for his radical democratic ideas and his contributions to the American independence movement. more

You May Also Like

“Men who are sincere in defending their freedom, will always feel concern at every circumstance which seems to make against them; it is the natural and honest consequence of all affectionate attachments, and the want of it is a vice. But the dejection lasts only for a moment; they soon rise out of it with additional vigor; the glow of hope, courage and fortitude, will, in a little time, supply the place of every inferior passion, and kindle the whole heart into heroism.”

MenWantFeelsHeartLittlesWholeMomentsSeemsLastsPassionNaturalHonestCircumstancesConsequenceConcernVicesAttachmentSincereHeroismInferiorsFortitudeVigorLittle TimeKindlesAffectionateHope Courage
Book:Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of ThomasPaine
Create image

“The artificial noble shrinks into a dwarf before the noble of nature; and in the few instances (for there are some in all countries) in whom nature, as by a miracle, has survived in aristocracy, those men despise it.”

MenCountryMiracleNobleInstanceDespiseArtificialSurvivedShrinksAristocracyDwarfsDwarves
Book:Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of ThomasPaine
Create image

“Man is not the enemy of man, but through the medium of a false system of Government. Instead, therefore, of exclaiming against the ambition of kings, the exclamation should be directed against the principle of such governments; and instead of seeking to reform the individual, the wisdom of a nation should apply itself to reform the system.”

MenShouldGovernmentIndividualNationsEnemyPrinciplesKingsAmbitionSeekingMediumsReformExclamationSystems Of Government
Book:Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution
Create image

“It appears to general observation, that revolutions create genius and talents; but those events do no more than bring them forward. There is existing in man, a mass of sense lying in a dormant state, and which, unless something excites it to action, will descend with him, in that condition, to the grave. As it is to the advantage of society that the whole of its faculties should be employed, the construction of government ought to be such as to bring forward, by a quiet and regular operation, all that extent of capacity which never fails to appear in revolutions.”

MenShouldStatesWholeGovernmentActionLyingFailingConditionsTalentEventsRevolutionOughtGeniusQuietMassAdvantageCapacityGravesObservationOperationsFacultyConstructionEmployedDormant
Book:Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution
Create image