On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
We now see all over Europe, and particularly in England, the curious phenomenon of a nation looking one way, and the government the other--the one forward and the other backward.
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Thomas Paine
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gutenberg.orgThomas Paine: “We now see all over Europe, and particularly in England, the curious phenomenon of a nation looking one way, and the…”
Editor's note · Context
From "Rights of Man," this observation highlights the divergence between the progressive aspirations of a nation and the conservative tendencies of its government.
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