On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
That which is worth following, will be followed for the sake of its worth, and it is in this that its security lies, and not in any conditions with which it may be encumbered.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgThomas Paine: “That which is worth following, will be followed for the sake of its worth, and it is in this that its security lies, and…”
Editor's note · Context
From "Rights of Man," Paine argues that true value and security come from inherent worth, not from external conditions or restrictions.
Share
More from Thomas Paine
Jan 1, 1791
Man cannot, properly speaking, make circumstances for his purpose, but he always has it in his power to improve them when they occur, and this was the case in France.
Jan 1, 1791
The meaning, then, good people, of all this, is: That government is governed by no principle whatever; that it can make evil good, or good evil, just as it pleases.
Jan 1, 1791
The Aristocracy had hitherto opposed the despotism of the Court, and affected the language of patriotism; but it opposed it as its rival (as the English Barons opposed King John) and it now opposed the nation from the same motives.