--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The natural rights which he retains are…" description: "\"“The natural rights which he retains are all those in which the Power to execute is as perfect in the individual as the right itself. Among this class,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/thomas-paine-267_every-man_the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are_65567.jpg" --- # The natural rights which he retains are all those in which… ![“The natural rights which he retains are all those in which the Power to execute is as perfect in the individual as the right itself. Among this class, as is before mentioned, are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind; consequently, religion is one of those rights. The natural rights…” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/thomas-paine-267_every-man_the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are_65567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/thomas-paine-267_every-man_the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are_65567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/thomas-paine-267_every-man_the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are_65567.jpg) > ““The natural rights which he retains are all those in which the Power to execute is as perfect in the individual as the right itself. Among this class, as is before mentioned, are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind; consequently, religion is one of those rights. The natural rights which are not retained, are all those in which, though the right is perfect in the individual, the power to execute them is defective. They answer not his purpose. A man, by natural right, has a right to judge in his own cause; and so far as the right of the mind is concerned, he never surrenders it. But what availeth it him to judge, if he has not power to redress? He therefore deposits this right in the common stock of society, and takes the arm of society, of which he is a part, in preference and in addition to his own. Society grants him nothing. Every man is a proprietor in society, and draws on the capital as a matter of right.”” [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. Individuals possess inherent rights that are fully effective only when they have the means to enforce them; otherwise, they must rely on collective societal structures. **In simple terms:** Rights need power to be meaningful. Key Takeaway Rights without enforcement are ineffective. Themes natural rights individual autonomy social contract intellectual freedom religious liberty Mood reflective assertive Type philosophical political When to use this quote - legal disputes - academic freedom - religious practice Key Concepts right of judgment collective enforcement Practical Applications - designing constitutional safeguards Questions to Reflect On - How does society balance individual rights with collective enforcement? - When should personal judgment be overridden by communal authority? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Natural rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-rights/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ## Related quotes > [“Let me speak plainly: The United States of America is and must remain a nation of openness to people of all beliefs. Our very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/let-me-speak-plainly-the-united-states-of-america-is-and-must-remain/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/i-believe-in-the-supreme-worth-of-the-individual-and-in-his-right-to/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [I consider the war of America against Britain as the country's war, the public's war, or the war of the people in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/i-consider-the-war-of-america-against-britain-as-the-country-s-war/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-cause-of-america-is-in-a-great-measure-the-cause-of-all-mankind-2/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Natural rights are those which always appertain to man in right of his existence. Of this kind are all the intellectual rights, or rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/natural-rights-are-those-which-always-appertain-to-man-in-right-of/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“Every history of the creation, and every traditionary account, whether from the lettered or unlettered world, however they may vary in their opinion or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/every-history-of-the-creation-and-every-traditionary-account-whether/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The laying of a Country desolate with Fire and Sword, declaring War against the natural rights of all Mankind, and extirpating the Defenders thereof…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laying-of-a-country-desolate-with-fire-and-sword-declaring-war/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“First, That every civil right grows out of a natural right; or, in other words, is a natural right exchanged. Secondly, That civil power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/first-that-every-civil-right-grows-out-of-a-natural-right-or-in-other/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Those rights, then, which God and nature have established, and are therefore called natural rights, such as life and liberty, need not the aid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/those-rights-then-which-god-and-nature-have-established-and-are/) [William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/) > [Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; second, to liberty; third, to property; together with the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/among-the-natural-rights-of-the-colonists-are-these-first-a-right-to/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [The State, on the other hand, both in its genesis and by its primary intention, is purely anti-social. It is not based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/the-state-on-the-other-hand-both-in-its-genesis-and-by-its-primary/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [It's a difficult position. Do you endanger your child to fight for the right thing, or do you keep your mouth shut and let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/it-s-a-difficult-position-do-you-endanger-your-child-to-fight-for-the/) [Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/) > [ We were born with natural rights. We don't need civil rights. \[African-Americans\] don't need civil rights. They don't need them. They have inalienable rights… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-woolery/we-were-born-with-natural-rights-we-don-t-need-civil-rights-african/) [Chuck Woolery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-woolery/) > [There's no doubt that I respect the Second Amendment, that I also believe there's an individual right to bear arms. That is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/there-s-no-doubt-that-i-respect-the-second-amendment-that-i-also/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving something behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/no-individual-has-any-right-to-come-into-the-world-and-go-out-of-it/) [George Washington Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington-carver/) ## 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. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/those-who-expect-to-reap-the-blessings-of-freedom-must-like-men/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“It has been the practice of all Christian commentators on the Bible, and of all Christian priests and preachers, to impose the Bible on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-has-been-the-practice-of-all-christian-commentators-on-the-bible/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Wisdom is not the purchase of a day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/wisdom-is-not-the-purchase-of-a-day/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. 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 Every man quotes > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Every man has his secret sadness and sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-has-his-secret-sadness-and-sorrows-which-the-world-knows/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [All religions must be tolerated for every man must get to heaven in his own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-religions-must-be-tolerated-for-every-man-must-get-to-heaven-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“China reminds me most of America at its own moment of transformation—the period that Mark Twain and Charles Warner named the Gilded Age, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/china-reminds-me-most-of-america-at-its-own-moment-of-transformation/) [Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/) > [Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/every-man-is-a-missionary-now-and-forever-for-good-or-for-evil/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [“John, let me make one thing clear,” Jim said, cutting me off in his most stern, evangelical voice. “Every man is blessed with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/john-let-me-make-one-thing-clear-jim-said-cutting-me-off-in-his-most/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Every man's heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe a final breath. And if what that man did in his life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-ultimate-warrior/every-man-s-heart-one-day-beats-its-final-beat-his-lungs-breathe-a/) [The Ultimate Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-ultimate-warrior/) Browse all 3,342 Every man quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The natural rights which he retains are all those in which the Power to execute is as perfect in the individual as the right itself. Among this class, as is before mentioned, are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind; consequently, religion is one of those rights. The natural rights which are not retained, are all those in which, though the right is perfect in the individual, the power to execute them is defective. They answer not his purpose. A man, by natural right, has a right to judge in his own cause; and so far as the right of the mind is concerned, he never surrenders it. But what availeth it him to judge, if he has not power to redress? He therefore deposits this right in the common stock of society, and takes the arm of society, of which he is a part, in preference and in addition to his own. Society grants him nothing. Every man is a proprietor in society, and draws on the capital as a matter of right.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Paine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are-all-those-in-which-the-power/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Every man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are-all-those-in-which-the-power/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/thomas-paine-267_every-man_the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are_65567.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/thomas-paine-267_every-man_the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are_65567.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/thomas-paine-267_every-man_the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are_65567.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The natural rights which he retains are all those in which the Power to execute is as perfect in the…” — Thomas Paine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Paine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The natural rights which he retains...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are-all-those-in-which-the-power/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-natural-rights-which-he-retains-are-all-those-in-which-the-power/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```