On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
Whether the fruits of his labours shall be enjoyed by himself or consumed by the profligacy of governments?
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgWhether the fruits of his labours shall be enjoyed by himself or consumed by the profligacy of governments?
From "Rights of Man," Paine poses a fundamental question about whether individuals or corrupt governments should benefit from human labor.
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Discussion and the general will arbitrates the question, and to this, private opinion yields with a good grace, and order is preserved uninterrupted.
I do not believe that any two men, on what are called doctrinal points, think alike who think at all.
Reason and discussion, persuasion and conviction, become the weapons in the contest, and it is only when those are attempted to be suppressed that recourse is had to violence.
As to what are called national religions, we may, with as much propriety, talk of national Gods.