Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst. – Thomas Paine
Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil in its worst state an intolerable one. – Thomas Paine
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. – Thomas Paine
We can easily become as much slaves to precaution as we can to fear. Although we can never rivet our fortune so tight as to make it impregnible, we may by our excessive prudence squeeze out of the life that we are guarding so anxiously all the adventurous quality that makes it worth living. – Randolph Silliman Bourne