Political Quotes

Thomas Paine: Government is not a trade which any man, or any body of men, has a right to set up and exercise for his own emolument…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
Government is not a trade which any man, or any body of men, has a right to set up and exercise for his own emolument, but is altogether a trust, in right of those by whom that trust is delegated, and by whom it is always resumeable.
Said by
Thomas Paine

Editor's note · Context

From "Rights of Man," this passage defines government as a trust delegated by the people, not a private enterprise for personal gain.

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