No Paine, No Gain

A collection of Thomas Paine quotes sets the tone for this Independence Day.

Image source: Wikipedia

“These are the times that try men’s souls.”
— Thomas Paine, 1776

As we celebrate Independence Day in the United States, I’m reminded that the American Revolution was a war that was fought not only with weapons, but with words.

America’s Foremost Thinker

It was early in America’s struggle that Thomas Paine, newly arrived from England, realized that the public needed a little guidance and clarity of thinking. And his writing began to do that in the essay “Reflections on Titles”:

“When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.”

Common Sense, Useful Matter

Thomas Paine was only in America for two years when he penned Common Sense (1776) at the encouragement of Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush (even back then it was all about the Benjamins).

The Enlightenment-…