It was not all the argument, however powerful, nor all the reasoning, however elegant, that could have produced this change, so necessary to the extension of the mind and the cordiality of the world, without the two circumstances of the Revolution and the Alliance.
Paine emphasizes that the change in mindset required both the Revolution and the Alliance, beyond mere argumentation.
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It has nothing to dread from attacks; truth has given it an establishment, and time will record it with a name as lasting as his own.
To possess ourselves of a clear idea of what government is, or ought to be, we must trace it to its origin.
The argument changes from hereditary rights to hereditary wisdom; and the question is, Who is the wisest man?
In fine, society performs for itself almost everything which is ascribed to government.