Authors:

Thomas Jefferson Quotes - Page 12

All Quotes 4th Of July Abundance Abuse Accountability Acting Adoption Adversity Advertising Affection Age Ambition Architecture Army Art Atheism Atheist Attitude Authority Beer Bible Business Capitalism Caring Censorship Change Character Chemistry Children Choices Christianity Church Church And State Civil Rights College Common Sense Communication Community Compassion Confidence Constitution Cooking Corruption Country Creativity Crime Criticism Culture Death Deception Defeat Democracy Design Desire Determination Difficulty Doubt Drinking Duty Dying Earth Economy Education Effort Emancipation Energy Enthusiasm Environment Equality Ethics Evidence Evil Excellence Exercise Existence Of God Family Farming Fear Feelings Fighting Fitness Flattery Food Foreign Policy Freedom Freedom Of Speech Friendship Funny Genius Giving Giving Up God Grace Gratitude Greek Growth Happiness Hatred Health Heart Heaven History Home Honesty Honor Hope Horror House Human Nature Humanity Hypocrisy Ignorance Imagination Imperfection Independence Innovation Insanity Inspiration Inspirational Integrity Jesus Judging Justice Kindness Knowledge Labor Language Leadership Learning Leaving Liberty Life Loss Love Luck Lying Mankind Meetings Military Monarchy Money Monument Morality Morning Motivational Natural Rights Nature Obedience Observation Office Opportunity Oppression Pain Passion Past Patriotism Peace Perseverance Persuasion Philosophy Pleasure Politics Poverty Power Praise Prayer Prejudice Pride Progress Prosperity Prudence Purity Purpose Quality Reading Reality Rebellion Reflection Religion Religious Freedom Responsibility Retirement Revolution Risk Running Sacrifice Safety School Science Second Amendment Security Separation Separation Of Church And State Silence Silver Simplicity Sin Slavery Sleep Society Soul Speculation Sports Spring Strength Struggle Study Submission Success Suffering Teaching Time Today Trade Tranquility Trust Truth Tyranny Understanding Universe Values Victory Violence Virtue Volunteer Voting Wall War Water Weakness Wealth Wine Winning Wisdom Work Worship Writing Youth
In every country where man is free to think and to speak, difference of opinion will arise from difference of perception, and the imperfection of reason; but these differences, when permitted, as in this happy country,

In every country where man is free to think and to speak, difference of opinion will arise from difference of perception, and the imperfection of reason; but these differences, when permitted, as in this happy country, to purify themselves by free discussion, are but as passing clouds overspreading our land transiently, and leaving our horizon more bright and serene.

Thomas Jefferson
Happiness, Country, Freedom
Thomas Jefferson, Henry Augustine Washington (1859). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence”, p.378

Exercise and application produce order in our affairs, health of body, cheerfulness of mind, and these make us precious to our friends

Thomas Jefferson
Motivational, Fitness, Exercise
Thomas Jefferson (2010). “The Works of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence 1786-1787”, p.265, Cosimo, Inc.

The same prudence which in private life would forbid our paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public moneys.

Thomas Jefferson
Political, Politics, Projects
Thomas Jefferson, Henry Augustine Washington (1859). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence”, p.301

All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.

Thomas Jefferson
Freedom, Patriotic, Equality
First Inaugural Address, 4 Mar. 1801

I have lived temperately....I double the doctor's recommendation of a glass and a half wine each day and even treble it with a friend.

Thomas Jefferson
Food, Wine, Doctors

Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.

Thomas Jefferson
Trust, Rights, Government
Thomas Jefferson, Jerry Holmes (2002). “Thomas Jefferson: A Chronology of His Thoughts”, p.106, Rowman & Littlefield

The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife.

Thomas Jefferson
Knives, Government Debt, Office
Thomas Jefferson (1855). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence. Reports and opinions while secretary of state”, p.212

Never trouble another for what you can do yourself

Thomas Jefferson
Work, Responsibility, Trouble
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoirs, 4: Correspondence and Private Papers”, p.423

[The purpose of a written constitution is] to bind up the several branches of government by certain laws, which, when they transgress, their acts shall become nullities; to render unnecessary an appeal to the people, or in other words a rebellion, on every infraction of their rights, on the peril that their acquiescence shall be construed into an intention to surrender those rights.

Thomas Jefferson
Rights, Government, Law

Difference of opinion is helpful in religion.

Thomas Jefferson
Inspirational, Life, Differences

Knowledge indeed is a desirable, a lovely possession.

Thomas Jefferson
Lovely, Possession, Desirable
Thomas Jefferson (2004). “Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness”, p.13, Modern Library

War...is as much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer.

Thomas Jefferson
Peace, War, Punishment
Thomas Jefferson, Brett F. Woods (2009). “Thomas Jefferson: Thoughts on War and Revolution : Annotated Correspondence”, p.135, Algora Publishing

No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another; and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him.

Thomas Jefferson
Equality, Men, Rights
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies: From the Papers of Thomas Jefferson”, p.278

An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy.

Thomas Jefferson
Heart, Democracy, Informed Citizenry

I apprehend... that the total abandonment of the principle of rotation in the offices of President and Senator will end in abuse.

Thomas Jefferson
Office, Political, Abuse
Thomas Jefferson, Jerry Holmes (2002). “Thomas Jefferson: A Chronology of His Thoughts”, p.101, Rowman & Littlefield

Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto.

Thomas Jefferson
War, Liberty, Alliances
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoir, correspondence, and miscellanies from the papers of T. Jefferson”, p.425

Most codes extend their definitions of treason to acts not really against one's country. They do not distinguish between acts against the government, and acts against the oppressions of the government. The latter are virtues, yet have furnished more victims to the executioner than the former. Real treasons are rare; oppressions frequent. The unsuccessful strugglers against tyranny have been the chief martyrs of treason laws in all countries.

Thomas Jefferson
Country, Real, Government
Thomas Jefferson (1861). “Correspondence”, p.353

By a declaration of rights, I mean one which shall stipulate freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of commerce against monopolies, trial by juries in all cases, no suspensions of the habeas corpus, no standing armies. These are fetters against doing evil which no honest government should decline.

Thomas Jefferson
Mean, Army, Rights
Thomas Jefferson (2011). “Jefferson on Freedom: Wisdom, Advice, and Hints on Freedom, Democracy, and the American Way”, p.11, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will.

Thomas Jefferson
Informed Citizens, Informed Citizenry, Citizenry

Nothing can now be believed that is seen in a newspaper.

Thomas Jefferson
Newspapers
Source: abcnews.go.com

The whole history of these books (i.e. the Gospels) is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.

Thomas Jefferson
Religious, Book, Men

Wine brightens the life and thinking of anyone

Thomas Jefferson
Wine, Thinking, Wine And Life

Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God.

Thomas Jefferson
Garden, People, Earth
Thomas Jefferson (1801). “Notes on the State of Virginia”, p.244

A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt...If the game runs sometime against us at home, we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake.

Thomas Jefferson
Running, Peace, War
Letter to John Taylor, June 1798.

It is reasonable that everyone who asks justice should do justice

Thomas Jefferson
Peace, Integrity, War
Thomas Jefferson, Andrew M. Allison (1983). “The Real Thomas Jefferson”, Natl Center for Constitutional