How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The laying a Country desolate with Fire and Sword, declaring War against the natural rights of all Mankind, and extirpating the Defenders thereof from the Face of the Earth, is the Concern of ever Man to whom Nature hath given the Power of feeling. (I.4)
Thomas Paine is certain that, in one way or another, Britain has already declared war on America. Now it's just a matter of fighting back. To make anyone queasy about the idea of war feel better, Paine states that a war from American independence will affect freedom all over the world.
Quote #2
The most plausible plea, which hath ever been offered in favour of hereditary succession, is, that it prevents a nation from civil wars. (2.18)
Paine knows that some people think a hereditary royal ruler is a good idea because it keeps a country stable and stops it from falling into constant civil war. In the end, though, he thinks this argument is garbage. England has always had a king and it's gone through more than a dozen civil wars.
Quote #3
In England a king hath little more to do than to make war and give away places; which in plain terms, is to impoverish the nation and set it together by the ears. (2.24)
Paine rejects the arguments in favor of having a king because the only powers a king has are destructive ones, like declaring war and sending his country into debt. Notice that both of these things involve consequences that the king doesn't have to deal with afterwards.