Political Quotes

Thomas Paine: As it is to the advantage of society that the whole of its faculties should be employed, the construction of government…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
As it is to the advantage of society that the whole of its faculties should be employed, the construction of government ought to be such as to bring forward, by a quiet and regular operation, all that extent of capacity which never fails to appear in revolutions.
Said by
Thomas Paine

Editor's note · Context

Paine argues that government should be designed to regularly cultivate and utilize the full range of human capacity, similar to what emerges during revolutions.

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