“It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government”
“It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government” (or “The duty of a true patriot is to protect his country from its government”) is a quote that has been frequently credited to American author Thomas Paine (1737-1809), but there’s no evidence that Paine ever said it. “It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government” has been cited in print since at least 2002.
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government,” by environmental activist and anarchist Edward Abbey (1927-1989), is probably the original form of the saying.
Wikiquote: Talk:Thomas Paine
Unsourced
It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government
28 September 2002, Fresno (CA) Bee, “Letters to the Editor”:
In the words of Thomas Paine, “It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.”
Sophia Booras
Fresno
Google Books
Gurarat 2002:
Untold and re-told stories of Hindutva lab
By John Dayal
Delhi: Justice & Peace Commission, Delhi and All India Christian Council: Media House
2003
Pg. 12:
At this moment one may listen to Thomas Paine, “It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.”
ScienceBlogs
Hume’s Ghost
May 2, 2006
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A quote I’d like to see sourced is
“It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.” – Thomas Paine
That’s obviously something that Paine could have said, but I’ve never seen it sourced, only attributed.
25 September 2006, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO), Metro, pg. 7, col. 4:
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
“It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.”
THOMAS PAINE
Thomas Paine Review
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010
Another bogus quote: “It is the duty of every patriot to protect his country from its government.”
The Tea-bagger membership is supposedly at least modestly educated. If so, I’ve yet to see any evidence of it. The latest is their widespread attribution of the above quotation to Thomas Paine. It’s now gone viral, plastered all over the WWW. You won’t find it in any of Paine’s works because he simply never said nor wrote it. The actual quote is (drum roll, please) .....
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” Edward Abbey A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis en Deserto) : Notes from a Secret Journal (1990) ISBN 0312064888
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POSTED BY KENNETH W. BURCHELL AT 10:09 AM