--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Thomas Paine showed Benjamin…" description: "\"When Thomas Paine showed Benjamin Franklin the manuscript of The Age of Reason, Franklin advised him not to publish it, saying, ''The world is bad enou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/anonymous-1_age_when-thomas-paine-showed-benjamin-frankl_2276857.jpg" --- # When Thomas Paine showed Benjamin Franklin the manuscript… ![“When Thomas Paine showed Benjamin Franklin the manuscript of The Age of Reason, Franklin advised him not to publish it, saying, ''The world is bad enough with the Bible; what would it be without it?''” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/anonymous-1_age_when-thomas-paine-showed-benjamin-frankl_2276857.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/anonymous-1_age_when-thomas-paine-showed-benjamin-frankl_2276857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/anonymous-1_age_when-thomas-paine-showed-benjamin-frankl_2276857.jpg) > “When Thomas Paine showed Benjamin Franklin the manuscript of The Age of Reason, Franklin advised him not to publish it, saying, ''The world is bad enough with the Bible; what would it be without it?''” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Franklin warned that removing the Bible could worsen societal moral decline, reflecting concern over losing a cultural anchor. **In simple terms:** Removing the Bible might harm society. Key Takeaway Consider the role of shared narratives. Themes religion morality culture influence Mood thoughtful concerned Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - public discourse - education - policy making - community building Key Concepts secularism social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - What values does a society lose without common texts? - Can secular ideas replace religious ones? A Different Perspective The Bible also has negative aspects; not all cultural anchors are beneficial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age of reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-of-reason/) [Bad Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-bible-2372088/) [Benjamin franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benjamin-franklin/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Franklin Advised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/franklin-advised-5298615/) [Franklin Manuscript](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/franklin-manuscript-5298614/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thomas-paine-913055/) ## Related quotes > [“It has happened, that all the answers that I have seen to the former part of 'The Age of Reason' have been written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-has-happened-that-all-the-answers-that-i-have-seen-to-the-former/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“ The primary leaders of the so-called founding fathers of our nation were not Bible-believing Christians; they were deists . 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