On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
They destroy the right which they might have, by grounding it on a right which they cannot have.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgThey destroy the right which they might have, by grounding it on a right which they cannot have.
In "Rights of Man," Paine critiques the British Parliament's claim to perpetual authority, arguing it undermines any legitimate power they possess.
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They had a cause at stake, on which depended their freedom or their slavery.
They form a common policy throughout Europe, detached and separate from the interest of Nations: and while they appear to quarrel, they agree to plunder.
It was Government dethroning Government; and the old one, by attempting to make a new one, made a chasm.