--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lay then the axe to the root, and teach…" description: "\"Lay then the axe to the root, and teach governments humanity. It is their sanguinary punishments which corrupt mankind.\" — Thomas Paine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/thomas-paine-267_corrupt_lay-then-the-axe-to-the-root-and-teach-g_1104990.png" --- # Lay then the axe to the root, and teach governments… ![“Lay then the axe to the root, and teach governments humanity. It is their sanguinary punishments which corrupt mankind.” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/thomas-paine-267_corrupt_lay-then-the-axe-to-the-root-and-teach-g_1104990.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/thomas-paine-267_corrupt_lay-then-the-axe-to-the-root-and-teach-g_1104990.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/thomas-paine-267_corrupt_lay-then-the-axe-to-the-root-and-teach-g_1104990.png) > “Lay then the axe to the root, and teach governments humanity. It is their sanguinary punishments which corrupt mankind.” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates confronting oppressive governments directly to prevent cruelty. **In simple terms:** Root out injustice by confronting authority. Key Takeaway Challenge corrupt power structures. Themes justice government humanity reform Mood critical provocative Type political ethical When to use this quote - political protest - policy reform - public education Key Concepts political activism ethical governance Questions to Reflect On - How can non‑violent methods achieve similar goals? - What are the risks of confronting authority? A Different Perspective Violent actions can cause further harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corrupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corrupt/) [Corrupt Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corrupt-mankind-2915565/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Governments Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments-humanity-2915567/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Sanguinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-sanguinary-2915568/) [Lays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lays/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Punishments Corrupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishments-corrupt-2915566/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) ## Related quotes > [The devil himself can become beauty, so we are told, to corrupt mankind." 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It is the only completely corrupt city in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edward-merriam/chicago-is-unique-it-is-the-only-completely-corrupt-city-in-america/) [Charles Edward Merriam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edward-merriam/) > [The Democrats and the Republicans are equally corrupt where money is concerned. It's only in the amount where the Republicans excel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-democrats-and-the-republicans-are-equally-corrupt-where-money-is/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-emerich-edward-dalberg-acton/power-tends-to-corrupt-and-absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely-great/) [John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-emerich-edward-dalberg-acton/) ## More by Thomas Paine > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The book called the Bible has been voted by men, and decreed by human laws to be the word of God; and the disbelief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-book-called-the-bible-has-been-voted-by-men-and-decreed-by-human/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-argue-with-a-person-who-has-renounced-the-use-of-reason-is-like/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/commerce-diminishes-the-spirit-both-of-patriotism-and-military-defence/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. 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Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/suspicion-is-the-companion-of-mean-souls-and-the-bane-of-all-good/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“To pass from the extremes of danger to safety-from the tumult of war to the tranquility of peace, though sweet in contemplation, requires a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-pass-from-the-extremes-of-danger-to-safety-from-the-tumult-of-war/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) [Explore all 772 Thomas Paine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## More Corrupt quotes > [“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-emerich-edward-dalberg-acton/power-tends-to-corrupt-and-absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely-great/) [John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-emerich-edward-dalberg-acton/) > [The Democrats and the Republicans are equally corrupt where money is concerned. It's only in the amount where the Republicans excel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-democrats-and-the-republicans-are-equally-corrupt-where-money-is/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Chicago is unique. It is the only completely corrupt city in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edward-merriam/chicago-is-unique-it-is-the-only-completely-corrupt-city-in-america/) [Charles Edward Merriam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edward-merriam/) > [Chicago's been under the grip of the corrupt and broken political machine for as long as everybody's memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lightfoot/chicago-s-been-under-the-grip-of-the-corrupt-and-broken-political/) [Lori Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lightfoot/) > [What astonishes many of us is not so much that human nature is fundamentally corrupt; we are astonished rather that it does not behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-irving-seiden/what-astonishes-many-of-us-is-not-so-much-that-human-nature-is/) [Morton Irving Seiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morton-irving-seiden/) > [The problem is that when you grow absolutely certain that all authorities are corrupt, then that would include the Palestinian authorities as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-problem-is-that-when-you-grow-absolutely-certain-that-all/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Corruption hates what is not corrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-park/corruption-hates-what-is-not-corrupt/) [Paul Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-park/) > [The Islamist camp is infused with a righteous indignation, as the forces of old, corrupt and rotten Egypt unite to try and drive them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/the-islamist-camp-is-infused-with-a-righteous-indignation-as-the/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [I have so many positive points. I am not corrupt, I am competent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamilisai-soundararajan/i-have-so-many-positive-points-i-am-not-corrupt-i-am-competent/) [Tamilisai Soundararajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamilisai-soundararajan/) > [“It’s so easy to lose faith and become lost in all of the politics of the world. That’s why we need the arts. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/it-s-so-easy-to-lose-faith-and-become-lost-in-all-of-the-politics-of/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“Interacting with a corrupt government judge is futile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/interacting-with-a-corrupt-government-judge-is-futile/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-ugly-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-corrupt-without/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [If the Russians masterminded fraud for 40 years at the highest state level in sports, operating behind the scenes to corrupt sports, what else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fogel/if-the-russians-masterminded-fraud-for-40-years-at-the-highest-state/) [Bryan Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fogel/) > [Burn a Bush cause for peace he no push no button. Killing over oil and grease, no weapons of destruction, How can we follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common/burn-a-bush-cause-for-peace-he-no-push-no-button-killing-over-oil-and/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common/) > [ I think everybody is covering their \[posteriors\] with the Enron scandal and it was very convenient that Sept. 11 came along to deflect the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-think-everybody-is-covering-their-posteriors-with-the-enron-scandal/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) [Browse all 602 Corrupt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corrupt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Lay then the axe to the root, and teach governments humanity. 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