Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.”
- Source
- Rights of Man
- Date
- 1792
Meaning of “My country is the world, and my religion…”
Paine places moral allegiance beyond national or sectarian identity, presenting humanity at large and practical good-doing as more fundamental than loyalty to a particular place or religious label.
Where does it come from?
Rights of Man, Part II, Project Gutenberg public-domain collection #3742. The line appears in Paine’s statement of independence from place or person while criticizing hereditary political privilege. The exact text is “my country is the world, and my religion is to do good,” not the later expanded attribution “all mankind are my brethren.”
