On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
Do we need a stronger evidence of the absurdity of hereditary government than is seen in the descendants of those men, in any line of life, who once were famous?
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgThomas Paine: “Do we need a stronger evidence of the absurdity of hereditary government than is seen in the descendants of those men…”
Editor's note · Context
Paine challenges the logic of hereditary rule by pointing to the common observation that talent and fame are rarely passed down through generations.
Share
More from Thomas Paine
Jan 1, 1791
Reason and discussion, persuasion and conviction, become the weapons in the contest, and it is only when those are attempted to be suppressed that recourse is had to violence.
Jan 1, 1791
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?
Jan 1, 1791
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.