Not beneath the cypress shade of disappointment, but to enjoy in her own land, and under her own vine, the sweet of her labors, and the reward of her toil.--In this situation, may she never forget that a fair national reputation is of as much importance as independence.
Reflecting on America's post-war future, Paine emphasizes the enduring importance of national reputation alongside independence.
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More from Thomas Paine
I presume, that though all the people of England pay taxes, not an hundredth part of them are electors, and the members of one of the houses of parliament represent nobody but themselves.
The object, in all such preliminary proceedings, is to find out what the general sense of a nation is, and to be governed by it.
Never did so great an opportunity offer itself to England, and to all Europe, as is produced by the two Revolutions of America and France.
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.