Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
ignorance reason thomas-paine
It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.
thomas-paine truth
Though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.
liberty the-american-crisis thomas-paine
He that rebels against reason is a real rebel, but he that in defence of reason rebels against tyranny has a better title to Defender of the Faith, than George the Third.
faith reason thomas-paine
The matter on which I judge people is their willingness, or ability, to handle contradiction. Thus Paine was better than Burke when it came to the principle of the French revolution, but Burke did and said magnificent things when it came to Ireland, India and America. One of them was in some ways a revolutionary conservative and the other was a conservative revolutionary. It's important to try and contain multitudes. One of my influences was Dr Israel Shahak, a tremendously brave Israeli humanist who had no faith in collectivist change but took a Spinozist line on the importance of individuals. Gore Vidal's admirers, of whom I used to be one and to some extent remain one, hardly notice that his essential critique of America is based on Lindbergh and 'America First' the most conservative position available. The only real radicalism in our time will come as it always has from people who insist on thinking for themselves and who reject party-mindedness.
america-first-committee charles-lindbergh collectivism conservatism contradiction edmund-burke free-thought french-revolution gore-vidal humanism india individualism influence ireland israel israel-shahak partisanship politics radicalism revolution spinozism thomas-paine united-states
