A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to [profess] things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that once a person compromises their integrity by professing false beliefs, they are likely to commit further wrongdoings.
Thomas Paine's quote highlights the moral decay that occurs when a person betrays their true beliefs for personal gain or societal acceptance. By stating that such corruption of the mind paves the way for other crimes, Paine underscores the importance of honesty and integrity in one’s thoughts and actions. He warns that the erosion of one’s inner convictions can lead to a slippery slope of moral failure, illustrating the profound relationship between belief, integrity, and ethical behavior.
Themes
IntegrityBeliefMoralityCorruptionCrime
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of integrity in politics.
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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