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.
Thomas PaineRead
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Long-standing habits can obscure our judgment and make us accept wrong ideas as right.
In this quote, Thomas Paine emphasizes that when we become accustomed to certain beliefs or practices, we may begin to view them as correct, despite their inherent flaws. This highlights the importance of critical thinking and the need to regularly evaluate our beliefs to ensure they align with truth and morality, rather than merely accepting them out of habit.
Themes
HabitThinkingTruthJudgmentBeliefs
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social issues, you might use this quote to remind others about the importance of questioning societal norms.
More from Thomas Paine
All quotes βI 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.
Thomas PaineRead
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
Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.
Thomas PaineRead
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