A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
It is a fool only, and not the philosopher, nor even the prudent man, that will live as if there were no God... Were a man impressed as fully and strongly as he ought to be with the belief of a God, his moral life would be regulated by the force of belief; he would stand in awe of God and of himself, and would not do the thing that could not be concealed from either.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing a higher power in guiding one's moral actions.
Thomas Paine's quote suggests that only a fool disregards the existence of God, as such a belief would guide an individual's moral compass. A true philosopher or prudent person, who acknowledges God, would inherently regulate their moral choices and actions, understanding that both divine and self-accountability play critical roles in their ethical conduct.
Themes
GodMoralityPhilosophyBeliefAccountability
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on ethics and morality, this quote can highlight the importance of spiritual belief in guiding moral decision-making.
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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