Thomas Paine Quote

"SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..."

by:	Thomas Paine (1737-1809) US Founding father, pamphleteer, author
Source:	Common Sense, February 14, 1776
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Categories:	Character, Economics, Entitlements, Government, Happiness, Punishment, Regulation, Society, Vice
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