--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tom Paine was a great American visionary…" description: "\"Tom Paine was a great American visionary. His book, Common Sense, sold a couple of hundred thousand copies in a population of four or five million. Tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/studs-terkel-3020_best-sellers_tom-paine-was-a-great-american-visionary_2444967.jpg" --- # Tom Paine was a great American visionary. His book, Common… ![“Tom Paine was a great American visionary. His book, Common Sense, sold a couple of hundred thousand copies in a population of four or five million. That means it was a best seller for years. People were thoughtful then. Hope is one thing. But you need to have hope with thought.” quote by Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/studs-terkel-3020_best-sellers_tom-paine-was-a-great-american-visionary_2444967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/studs-terkel-3020_best-sellers_tom-paine-was-a-great-american-visionary_2444967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/studs-terkel-3020_best-sellers_tom-paine-was-a-great-american-visionary_2444967.jpg) > “Tom Paine was a great American visionary. His book, Common Sense, sold a couple of hundred thousand copies in a population of four or five million. That means it was a best seller for years. People were thoughtful then. Hope is one thing. But you need to have hope with thought.” [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hope combined with thoughtful analysis leads to meaningful change. **In simple terms:** Hope needs careful thinking to be effective. Key Takeaway Pair optimism with critical thinking. Themes hope thought change Mood hopeful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - social movements - policy debates - community organizing Key Concepts political theory critical thinking visionary ideas Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance optimism with realism? - What thoughts guide your hopeful actions? A Different Perspective Hope alone may be naive without concrete plans. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Visionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-visionary-520088/) [Best sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-sellers/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Great american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-american/) [Having hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-hope/) [Hope Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-thought-520087/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paine/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population/) [Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sellers/) [Thoughtful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughtful/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Tom paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tom-paine/) [Toms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toms/) [Visionaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visionaries/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Dalton\] Trumbo wrote this incredible pamphlet, almost on the level of Tom Paine's 'Common Sense,' called 'The Time of the Toad.' It's an exquisitely… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/dalton-trumbo-wrote-this-incredible-pamphlet-almost-on-the-level-of/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [Each man too is a tyrant in tendency, because he would impose his idea on others; and their trick is their natural defence. Jesuswould…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/each-man-too-is-a-tyrant-in-tendency-because-he-would-impose-his-idea/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [My stern chase after time is, to borrow a simile from Tom Paine, like the race of a man with a wooden leg after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/my-stern-chase-after-time-is-to-borrow-a-simile-from-tom-paine-like/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The left no longer stands for common sense, as it did in the days of Tom Paine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/the-left-no-longer-stands-for-common-sense-as-it-did-in-the-days-of/) [Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/) > [How I longed to see these things; how I longed to see the Liberty Bell and walk on the streets where Thomas Jefferson, Tom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burl-ives/how-i-longed-to-see-these-things-how-i-longed-to-see-the-liberty-bell/) [Burl Ives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burl-ives/) > [“Without the pen of Paine , the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/without-the-pen-of-paine-the-sword-of-washington-would-have-been/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [I have been lately introduced to the famous Thomas Paine, and like him very well. He is vain beyond all belief, but he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-been-lately-introduced-to-the-famous-thomas-paine-and-like-him/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ Paine suffered then, as now he suffers not so much because of what he wrote as from the misinterpretations of others... He disbelieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/paine-suffered-then-as-now-he-suffers-not-so-much-because-of-what-he/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [“The neglected pioneer of one revolution, the honoured victim of another, brave to the point of folly, and as humane as he was brave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-noel-brailsford/the-neglected-pioneer-of-one-revolution-the-honoured-victim-of/) [Henry Noel Brailsford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-noel-brailsford/) > [Also, an area that interests me - and it will probably take years to state what I mean - is the period of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-shaw/also-an-area-that-interests-me-and-it-will-probably-take-years-to/) [Fiona Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-shaw/) > [“I have always been interested in this man . My father had a set of Tom Paine 's books on the shelf at home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-have-always-been-interested-in-this-man-my-father-had-a-set-of-tom/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I think Tom Paine is one of the greatest men that's ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-attenborough/i-think-tom-paine-is-one-of-the-greatest-men-that-s-ever-lived/) [Richard Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-attenborough/) > [There are no words to express the extraordinary strength and character of this breed of people we call American. They are the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-are-no-words-to-express-the-extraordinary-strength-and/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I never tire of reading Tom Paine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-never-tire-of-reading-tom-paine/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“ Tom Paine has almost no influence on present-day thinking in the United States because he is unknown to the average citizen. Perhaps I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-edison/tom-paine-has-almost-no-influence-on-present-day-thinking-in-the/) [Thomas Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-edison/) ## More by Studs Terkel > [My epitaph? My epitaph will be, 'Curiosity did not kill this cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/my-epitaph-my-epitaph-will-be-curiosity-did-not-kill-this-cat/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“It was in ’35—we had this campaign to raise a million tax dollars. In the town of Phillips, one evening, during a blizzard, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/it-was-in-35-we-had-this-campaign-to-raise-a-million-tax-dollars-in/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I read somewhere that when a person takes part in community action, his health improves. Something happens to him or to her biologically. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-read-somewhere-that-when-a-person-takes-part-in-community-action/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Don't be an examiner, be the interested inquirer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/don-t-be-an-examiner-be-the-interested-inquirer/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Hope never trickles down. It always springs up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/hope-never-trickles-down-it-always-springs-up/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I never drove a car. I'm hopeless that way. I press the wrong buttons on the tape recorder. But if the person I'm interviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-never-drove-a-car-i-m-hopeless-that-way-i-press-the-wrong-buttons/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/to-survive-the-day-is-triumph-enough-for-the-walking-wounded-among/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“I’ll never forget that Depression Easter Sunday. Our son was four years old. I bought ten or fifteen cents’ worth of eggs. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-ll-never-forget-that-depression-easter-sunday-our-son-was-four/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [All you need in life is truth and beauty and you can find both at the Public Library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/all-you-need-in-life-is-truth-and-beauty-and-you-can-find-both-at-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Reading a book should not be a passive exercise, but rather a raucous conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/reading-a-book-should-not-be-a-passive-exercise-but-rather-a-raucous/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I hope for peace and sanity - it's the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-hope-for-peace-and-sanity-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“The total cost of the Federal Arts Project was only $23 million. Many of these paintings, sculptures and prints were given to museums, courthouses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-total-cost-of-the-federal-arts-project-was-only-23-million-many/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I find labels "liberal" and "conservative" of little meaning. Our language has become perverted along with the thoughts of many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-find-labels-liberal-and-conservative-of-little-meaning-our-language/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“Who knows Bob’s name in this outfit—let alone his lame child’s? (“The last place I worked for, I was let go,” recalls the bank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/who-knows-bob-s-name-in-this-outfit-let-alone-his-lame-child-s-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [The trouble with censorship is that once it starts it is hard to stop. Just about every book contains something that someone objects to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-trouble-with-censorship-is-that-once-it-starts-it-is-hard-to-stop/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) [Explore all 142 Studs Terkel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## More Best sellers quotes > [If it so happened that I had once written a best-seller, this was a pure accident, due to inattention and naivete, and I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-it-so-happened-that-i-had-once-written-a-best-seller-this-was-a/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [My father didn't want to go to Manhattan for me, and I came to Manhattan and I have done a great job in Manhattan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/my-father-didn-t-want-to-go-to-manhattan-for-me-and-i-came-to/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The measure of a great writer is not how many weeks his books spend on the best-seller lists, but how many years his books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/the-measure-of-a-great-writer-is-not-how-many-weeks-his-books-spend/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) > [The Apple iPad is not going to be the company's next runaway best seller. Not if the industry can help it... With the iPad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-dvorak/the-apple-ipad-is-not-going-to-be-the-company-s-next-runaway-best/) [John C. Dvorak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-dvorak/) > [It had been fourteen years and I hadn't had anything published. I had 250 rejection slips. I got my first novel published and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-alther/it-had-been-fourteen-years-and-i-hadn-t-had-anything-published-i-had/) [Lisa Alther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-alther/) > [I haven't won any prizes or had any best sellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-haven-t-won-any-prizes-or-had-any-best-sellers/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [Ironically, white America will catapult books about race to the top of the best-seller list, even as racism remains a national open wound. Obsession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marita-golden/ironically-white-america-will-catapult-books-about-race-to-the-top-of/) [Marita Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marita-golden/) > [Writing isn't generally a lucrative source of income; only a few, exceptional writers reach the income levels associated with the best-sellers. Rather, most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-scott/writing-isn-t-generally-a-lucrative-source-of-income-only-a-few/) [Melissa Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-scott/) > [My books always make the best-seller lists in Wolf Hole, Arizona, and Hanksville, Utah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/my-books-always-make-the-best-seller-lists-in-wolf-hole-arizona-and/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Young adults that actually read are reading bodice rippers and best-sellers and me. And Horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/young-adults-that-actually-read-are-reading-bodice-rippers-and-best/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Like many popular best-sellers, he was a very sad and solemn man who took himself too seriously and his art not seriously enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-pritchett/like-many-popular-best-sellers-he-was-a-very-sad-and-solemn-man-who/) [V. S. Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-pritchett/) > [The White Queen in many ways it is representative of the sort of drama that I'm talking about. The books by Philippa Gregory were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-callender/the-white-queen-in-many-ways-it-is-representative-of-the-sort-of/) [Colin Callender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-callender/) > [Some books and authors are best sellers, but most aren't. It may be easier to self-publish than it is to traditionally publish, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/some-books-and-authors-are-best-sellers-but-most-aren-t-it-may-be/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [“The ragged curtains were reaching out across the room and the foot of the bed was soaked with rain. She got up and closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-b-brewer/the-ragged-curtains-were-reaching-out-across-the-room-and-the-foot-of/) [Nancy B. Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-b-brewer/) > [ 10 years ago \[in 2006\], nearly 90 percent of those albums sold enough in that year to reach Gold status. 10 years later, about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-sherman/10-years-ago-in-2006-nearly-90-percent-of-those-albums-sold-enough-in/) [Cary Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-sherman/) [Browse all 63 Best sellers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-sellers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tom Paine was a great American visionary. His book, Common Sense, sold a couple of hundred thousand copies in a population of four or five million. That means it was a best seller for years. People were thoughtful then. Hope is one thing. 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