Quote

Oppression is often the consequence, but seldom or never the means of riches and tho' avarice will preserve a man from being necessitously poor, it generally makes him too timorous to be wealthy.

Thomas Paine

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Thomas Paine
Age: 72 †
Born: 1737
Born: January 29
Died: 1809
Died: June 8
Author
Entrepreneur
Journalist
Opinion Journalist
Philosopher
Politician
Prosaist
Writer
Thetford
Norfolk
Means
Wealthy
Often
Seldom
Makes
Oppression
Never
Riches
Men
Greed
Generally
Timorous
Consequence
Avarice
Poor
Preserve

More quotes by Thomas Paine

Image
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.
Thomas Paine
Image
A government on the principles on which constitutional governments arising out of society are established, cannot have the right of altering itself. If it had, it would be arbitrary. It might make itself what it pleased and wherever such a right is set up, it shows there is no constitution.
Thomas Paine
Image
For the fate of Charles the first, hath only made kings more subtle — not more just.
Thomas Paine
Image
My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.
Thomas Paine
Image
Reason obeys itself and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
Thomas Paine
Image
The greatest characters the world has known, have rose on the democratic floor. Aristocracy has not been able to keep a proportionate pace with democracy.
Thomas Paine
Image
But such is the irresistable nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants is the liberty of appearing.
Thomas Paine
Image
Is it more probable that nature should go out of her course, or that a man should tell a lie? We have never seen, in our time, nature go out of her course but we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told in the same time.
Thomas Paine
Image
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
Thomas Paine
Image
The declaration which says that God visits the sins of the fathers upon the children is contrary to every principle of moral justice.
Thomas Paine
Image
[A]ll churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, are simply human inventions. They use fear to enslave us. They are a monopoly for power and profit.
Thomas Paine
Image
... a thirst for power is the natural disease of monarchy.
Thomas Paine
Image
The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world not destitute of arms, for all would be alike but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside ... Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them ... the weak will become prey to the strong.
Thomas Paine
Image
The art of publicity is a black art but it has come to stay, and every year adds to its potency.
Thomas Paine
Image
When authors and critics talk of the sublime, they see not how nearly it borders on the ridiculous.
Thomas Paine
Image
Every religion is good that teaches man to be good and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.
Thomas Paine
Image
Take away from Genesis the belief that Moses was the author, on which only the strange believe that it is the word of God has stood, and there remains nothing of Genesis but an anonymous book of stories, fables, and traditionary or invented absurdities, or of downright lies.
Thomas Paine
Image
Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself.
Thomas Paine
Image
The story of the whale swallowing Jonah, though a whale is large enough to do it, borders greatly on the marvelous but it would have approached nearer to the idea of a miracle if Jonah had swallowed the whale.
Thomas Paine
Image
Better fare hard with good men than feast it with bad.
Thomas Paine