A knowledge of the practice was then joined to the theory; and all that was wanting to give it real existence was opportunity.
Thomas Paine: “A knowledge of the practice was then joined to the theory; and all that was wanting to give it real existence was…”
Editor's note · Context
From his work "Rights of Man," this passage discusses the necessary conditions for revolutionary ideas to manifest in practice.
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I do not believe that any two men, on what are called doctrinal points, think alike who think at all.
I have no idea, considering the reforms which are now passing and spreading throughout Europe, that England will permit herself to be the last; and where the occasion and the opportunity quietly offer, it is better than to wait for a…
Why may we not suppose, that the great Father of all is pleased with variety of devotion; and that the greatest offence we can act, is that by which we seek to torment and render each other miserable?
If, therefore, the good to be obtained be worthy of a passive, rational, and costless revolution, it would be bad policy to prefer waiting for a calamity that should force a violent one.