Political Quotes

Thomas Paine: In England this right is said to reside in a metaphor shown at the Tower for sixpence or a shilling a piece: so are the…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
In England this right is said to reside in a metaphor shown at the Tower for sixpence or a shilling a piece: so are the lions; and it would be a step nearer to reason to say it resided in them, for any inanimate metaphor is no more than a hat or a cap.
Said by
Thomas Paine

Editor's note · Context

Paine satirically dismisses the English monarchy's claim to the right of war and peace as an absurd, inanimate metaphor.

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