Thomas Paine Quotes: 13

• I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

• The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.

  A Letter Addressed to the Abbe Raynal on the Affairs of North America

• Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good.

  Rights of Man

• One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.

  The Age of Reason

• I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.

  The Age of Reason

• It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.

  The Age of Reason

• Let them call me a rebel and welcome. I feel no concern from it. But should I suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul.

• Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law.

  The Age of Reason

• Is it more probable that nature should go out of her course or that a man should tell a lie? We have never seen, in our time, nature go out of her course. But we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told in the same time. It is therefore at least millions to one that the reporter of a miracle tells a lie.

  The Age of Reason

• It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.

• He who dares not offend cannot be honest.

• All the tales of miracles, with which the Old and New Testament are filled, are fit only for impostors to preach and fools to believe.

  The Writing of Thomas Paine

• We have it in our power to begin the world over again.