A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither have they fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the idea that America became a refuge for those escaping tyranny in Europe, representing hope for liberty.
In this quote, Thomas Paine emphasizes the role of America as a sanctuary for individuals fleeing oppression, particularly in terms of civil and religious freedoms. He contrasts the nurturing aspect of seeking a new homeland with the harsh realities faced by those who were forced to leave their homes due to persecution. Paine points out that the spirit of tyranny that drove the early emigrants continues to affect their descendants, suggesting an ongoing struggle for freedom and justice.
Themes
FreedomLibertyPersecutionEmigrationTyranny
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about immigration and the importance of asylum.
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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.
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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.
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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
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