Did Paine write these quotes?
The following quotes are NOT from Thomas Paine:
“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” This quote does not exist in the Paine corpus, and seems to have its orign in the 20th century.
“Reputation is what other people think of us. Character is what God knows of us.” This quote is from a book by Shannon L. Alder.
“The government that governs best governs least.” This is from Henry David Thoreau, who borrowed it from the cover of the journal Democratic Review, 1837-1859.
“The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” This is from Edward Abbey in A Voice Crying in the Wilderness, pg.19. And the actual quote is “A patriot must be ready to defend his country from his government.” The version presented here is the one used on the Internet.
“Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property… Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.” This quote is in Thoughts on Defensive War in Foner’s Complte Works of Thomas Paine, however there is a question, at this point, as to whether this is Paine’s writing.