Home / Quotes / Quote by Thomas Paine

Quote by Thomas Paine

“Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise.”

Quote by Thomas Paine

Author

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

“And suddenly she knew exactly why Catherine had fallen in love with him. It wasn't that he was unusually attractive, or ambitious, or even charming. He was partly those things, but more important, he seemed to live life on his own terms.”

Important Term Live Life Attractive Fallen Ambitious Charming Message In A Bottle Letter In A Bottle

Book:Message in a Bottle

Source: Message in a Bottle

“We are all so guilty at the way we have allowed the world around us to become more ugly and tasteless every year that we surrender to terror and steep ourselves in it.”

World Way Years Terror Ugly Surrender Guilty Steep

Author:Norman Mailer

“Take my camel, dear,' said my aunt Dot, climbing down from that animal on her return from high Mass.”

Said Animal Return Mass Dear Climbing Aunt Dots Camels

Author:Rose Macaulay

“Remember the botched brothel-visit in L’Education sentimentale and remember its lesson. Do not participate: happiness lies in the imagination, not the act. Pleasure is found first in anticipation, later in memory.”

Firsts Remember Lying Found Imagination Memories Pleasure Lessons Anticipation Brothels

Book:Flaubert's Parrot

Source: Flaubert's Parrot

“Pride makes us long for a solution to things – a solution, a purpose, a final cause; but the better telescopes become, the more stars appear.”

Long Purpose Stars Causes Pride Solutions Finals Telescopes

Book:Flaubert's Parrot

Source: Flaubert's Parrot

“As humanity perfects itself, man becomes degraded. When everything is reduced to the mere counter-balancing of economic interests, what room will there be for virtue? When Nature has been so subjugated that she has lost all her original forms, where will that leave the plastic arts? And so on. In the mean time, things are going to get very murky.”

Men Mean Has Beens Art Form Humanity Lost Interest Rooms Money Virtue Economic Originals Mere Plastic

Author:Gustave Flaubert

“Life is painful and disappointing. It is useless, therefore, to write new realistic novels. We generally know where we stand in relation to reality and don’t care to know any more.”

Knows Writing Reality Care Life Is Novel Relation Painful Don't Care Useless Realistic Disappointing

Book:H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life

Source: H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life

“10 percent of any population is cruel, no matter what, and 10 percent is merciful, no matter what, and the remaining 80 percent can be moved in either direction.”

Matter Percent No Matter What Moved Population Merciful

Author:Susan Sontag

“If a man makes me keep my distance, the comfort is, he keeps his at the same time.”

Ifs Men Comfort Distance

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Jonathan Swift (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Jonathan Swift (Illustrated)

“That was excellently observed’, say I, when I read a passage in an author, where his opinion agrees with mine. When we differ, there I pronounce him to be mistaken.”

Opinion Mines Criticism Agree Passages Mistaken Disagreement

Author:Jonathan Swift