A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
It is not a charity but a right, not bounty but justice, that I am pleading for. The present state of civilization is as odious as it is unjust. It is absolutely the opposite of what it should be, and it is necessary that a revolution should be made in it. The contrast of affluence and wretchedness continually meeting and offending the eye, is like dead and living bodies chained together
Interpretation
What this quote means
Paine argues that social equity and justice are fundamental rights rather than acts of charity.
In this quote, Thomas Paine asserts that the current societal structure is unjust, highlighting the stark contrast between wealth and poverty. He calls for a revolutionary change, as the existing conditions not only offend moral sensibilities but also illustrate a dire need for a society rooted in fairness and equality. Paine emphasizes that wealth should not be viewed as a privilege but as a right accessible to all, suggesting that the disparity in living conditions is both unacceptable and incompatible with true civilization.
Themes
JusticeRevolutionCivilizationEqualityWealthPoverty
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote to inspire a discussion on social justice in a community gathering.
More from Thomas Paine
All quotes →That God cannot lie, is no advantage to your argument, because it is no proof that priests can not, or that the Bible does not.
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I consider the war of America against Britain as the country's war, the public's war, or the war of the people in their own behalf, for the security of their natural rights, and the protection of their own property.
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Had the news of salvation by Jesus Christ been inscribed on the face of the sun and the moon, in characters that all nations would have understood, the whole earth had known it in twenty-four hours, and all nations would have believed it; whereas, though it is now almost two thousand years since, as they tell us, Christ came upon earth, not a twentieth part of the people of the earth know anything of it, and among those who do, the wiser part do not believe it.
Thomas PaineRead
The end of all political associations is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man; and these rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance of oppression.
Thomas PaineRead
To reason with goverments, as they have existed for ages, is to argue with brutes. It is only from the nations themselves that reforms can be expected
Thomas PaineRead
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