“ For trade being the consequence of population, men become too much absorbed thereby to attend to anything else. ”
Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776). copy citation
| Author | Thomas Paine |
|---|---|
| Source | Common Sense |
| Topic | trade consequences |
| Date | 1776 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/147/147-h/147-h.htm |
Context
“We are sufficiently numerous, and were we more so, we might be less united. It is a matter worthy of observation, that the more a country is peopled, the smaller their armies are. In military numbers, the ancients far exceeded the moderns: and the reason is evident. For trade being the consequence of population, men become too much absorbed thereby to attend to anything else. Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence. And history sufficiently informs us, that the bravest achievements were always accomplished in the non-age of a nation. With the increase of commerce, England hath lost its spirit.”
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