I PUT the following work under your protection. It contains my opinions upon Religion. You will do me the justice to remember, that I have always strenuously supported the Right of every Man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.
The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall.
Your affectionate friend and fellow-citizen,
THOMAS PAINE
Luxembourg, 8th Pluviose,
Second Year of the French Republic, one and indivisible.
January 27, O. S. 1794.
*Note: A download may not start for up to 60 seconds.
*Note: It may take up to 60 seconds for for the email to be generated.
Chicago: Thomas Paine, "Author's Note," The Age of Reason Original Sources, accessed July 1, 2025, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=U8D5NCLK2LHZCI9.
MLA: Paine, Thomas. "Author's Note." The Age of Reason, Original Sources. 1 Jul. 2025. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=U8D5NCLK2LHZCI9.
Harvard: Paine, T, 'Author's Note' in The Age of Reason. Original Sources, retrieved 1 July 2025, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=U8D5NCLK2LHZCI9.