Thomas Paine
The Public Record
Thomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, inventor, political philosopher, and statesman. His pamphlets Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783) framed the Patriot argument for independence from Great Britain at the outset of the American Revolution. Paine advanced Enlightenment-era arguments for human rights that shaped revolutionary discourse on both sides of the Atlantic.
★ Featured Quote
January 1, 1791
Because aristocracy has a tendency to deteriorate the human species.
— Thomas Paine
Jan 1, 1791
They had a cause at stake, on which depended their freedom or their slavery.
Jan 1, 1791
In fine, society performs for itself almost everything which is ascribed to government.
Jan 1, 1791
When it becomes necessary to do anything, the whole heart and soul should go into the measure, or not attempt it.
Jan 1, 1791
To possess ourselves of a clear idea of what government is, or ought to be, we must trace it to its origin.
Jan 1, 1791
To account for this sudden transition, it is proper to observe that there are two distinct species of popularity; the one excited by merit, and the other by resentment.
Jan 1, 1791
The man who is in the receipt of a million a year is the last person to promote a spirit of reform, lest, in the event, it should reach to himself.