These are the times that try men's souls

Cultural  

1. The opening words of the series of pamphlets The American Crisis, by Thomas Paine, begun in late 1776. Paine, seeking to stir up revolutionary spirit in the colonies, continues, “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot may, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

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Paine's words are still quoted occasionally in troublesome situations.

Example Sentences

These are the times that try men’s souls.

From Washington Post • Feb. 2, 2018

His text: Tom Paine's "These are the times that try men's souls."

From Time Magazine Archive

He shouted to them "These are the times that try men's souls."

From Lectures of Col. R. G. Ingersoll - Latest by Ingersoll, Robert Green

It was before Trenton that those weary and disheartened soldiers,—ragged, barefoot, half frozen and more than half starved—first heard the words that have echoed down the years: "These are the times that try men's souls!"

From Greenwich Village by Cram, Allan G. (Allan Gilbert)

His pamphlet, Common Sense, issued in 1776, began with the famous words, "These are the times that try men's souls."

From Initial Studies in American Letters by Beers, Henry A. (Henry Augustin)