On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
They are softly leading him to the sepulchre of precedents, to deaden his faculties and call attention from the scene of revolutions.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgThomas Paine: “They are softly leading him to the sepulchre of precedents, to deaden his faculties and call attention from the scene of…”
Editor's note · Context
Paine uses a metaphor to describe how governments use precedents to dull people's minds and distract them from revolutionary ideas.
Share
More from Thomas Paine
Jan 1, 1791
They had a cause at stake, on which depended their freedom or their slavery.
Jan 1, 1791
To account for this sudden transition, it is proper to observe that there are two distinct species of popularity; the one excited by merit, and the other by resentment.
Jan 1, 1791
The aristocracy has screened itself too much, and this serves to restore a part of the lost equilibrium.
Jan 1, 1791
Burke's Book is easily accounted for.--When a man in a wrong cause attempts to steer his course by anything else than some polar truth or principle, he is sure to be lost.