Quotation by

Thomas Paine

To establish any mode to abolish war, however advantageous it might be to Nations, would be to take from such Government the most lucrative of its branches.

Advertisement

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Thomas Paine is saying that if a government created a system to completely end war, it would lose a major source of profit. He implies that war is financially beneficial to governments, so they have little incentive to stop it.

More by this author

All quotes by Thomas Paine →

More quotes about Government

See all →
A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take …
I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.

Advertisement

Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil in its worst state, an intolerable one.