In his pamphlet "Common Sense," Thomas Paine argues that the British have a right to do "nothing." By this, he means that the British have no right to interfere with the American colonies' pursuit of independence. Paine contends that the British have repeatedly violated the rights of the colonists and that they are no longer fit to rule over them. He states, "They have done nothing for us, and we should be fools indeed to leave them any further opportunities of doing mischief."