Political Quotes

Thomas Paine: “To know whether it be the interest of the continent to be independent, we need only ask this easy, simple question: Is…”

On the recordJanuary 1, 1776
To know whether it be the interest of the continent to be independent, we need only ask this easy, simple question: Is it the interest of a man to be a boy all his life?
Said by
Thomas Paine

Editor's note · Context

In "The American Crisis," Paine uses a rhetorical question to illustrate the natural progression from colonial dependency to national independence.

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