Political Quotes

Thomas Paine: The sun needs no inscription to distinguish him from darkness; and no sooner did the American governments display…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
The sun needs no inscription to distinguish him from darkness; and no sooner did the American governments display themselves to the world, than despotism felt a shock and man began to contemplate redress.
Said by
Thomas Paine

Editor's note · Context

From his work "Rights of Man," Paine uses an analogy of the sun to illustrate how the emergence of American governments inherently challenged despotism and inspired thoughts of reform.

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