On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
I know not whether Homer or Euclid had sons; but I will venture an opinion that if they had, and had left their works unfinished, those sons could not have completed them.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgI know not whether Homer or Euclid had sons; but I will venture an opinion that if they had, and had left their works unfinished, those sons could not have completed them.
Paine uses the example of great historical figures to demonstrate that genius and ability are not inherited, in his "Rights of Man."
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Why may we not suppose, that the great Father of all is pleased with variety of devotion; and that the greatest offence we can act, is that by which we seek to torment and render each other miserable?
When men unite in agreeing that a thing is good, could it be obtained, such for instance as relief from a burden of taxes and the extinction of corruption, the object is more than half accomplished.
As to what are called national religions, we may, with as much propriety, talk of national Gods.