He coined the phrase: "These are times that try men?s souls."
- Thomas Jefferson
- Winston Churchill
- Abraham Lincoln
- Thomas Paine
- George Washington
He coined the phrase: "These are times that try men?s souls."
In December 1776, Thomas Paine began a series of essays intended to rally patriotic sentiment. In the Crisis Papers, Paine began: "These are the times that try men?s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.? A political writer and philosopher, Paine?s radical writings helped turn public opinion to the cause of independence during the Revolutionary War. Paine?s most celebrated work, the pamphlet Common Sense, was published on January 10, 1776, and persuaded many Americans that compromise with Britain was not possible.