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The Political Writings of Thomas Paine: To which is Prefixed a Brief Sketch of the Author's Life

The Political Writings of Thomas Paine is a compilation of essays and pamphlets written by the 18th-century philosopher and political activist. The volume features a preliminary section that provides a brief overview of Paine's life and contributions. more

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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

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“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.”

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Book:Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of ThomasPaine
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“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.”

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Book:Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution
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“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
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“If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.”

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Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956
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“Inflation is not a Robin Hood, taking from the rich to give to the poor. Rather, it deals most cruelly with those who can least protect themselves. It strikes hardest those millions of our citizens whose incomes do not quickly rise with the cost of living. When prices soar, the pensioner and the widow see their security undermined, the man of thrift sees his savings melt away; the white collar worker, the minister, and the teacher see their standards of living dragged down.”

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Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower
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