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Thomas Jefferson Quotes - Page 29

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With your talents and industry, with science, and that steadfast honesty which eternally pursues right, regardless of consequences, you may promise yourself every thing-but health, without which there is no happiness.

With your talents and industry, with science, and that steadfast honesty which eternally pursues right, regardless of consequences, you may promise yourself every thing-but health, without which there is no happiness. An attention to health then should take place of evey other object. The time necessary to secure this by active exercises, should be devoted to it in preference to every other pursuit.

Thomas Jefferson
Honesty, Health, Exercise

It should be our endeavor to cultivate the peace and friendship of every nation . . . . Our interest will be to throw open the doors of commerce, and to knock off all its shackles, giving perfect freedom to all persons for the vent to whatever they may choose to bring into our ports, and asking the same in theirs.

Thomas Jefferson
Doors, Giving, Perfect
Thomas Jefferson (1801). “Notes on the State of Virginia”, p.257

We are not immortal ourselves, my friend; how can we expect our enjoyments to be so? We have no rose without its thorn; no pleasure without alloy. It is the law of our existence; and we must acquiesce.

Thomas Jefferson
Law, Rose, Pleasure
Thomas Jefferson, Jerry Holmes (2002). “Thomas Jefferson: A Chronology of His Thoughts”, p.322, Rowman & Littlefield

God grant that men of principle shall be our principal men.

Thomas Jefferson
Moving, Character, Men

Our liberty depends on freedom of the press.

Thomas Jefferson
Liberty, Freedom Of The Press, Depends
Source: abcnews.go.com

I think by far the most important bill in our whole code is that for the diffusion of knowlege among the people. no other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom, and happiness.

Thomas Jefferson
Educational, Knowledge, Thinking
Thomas Jefferson, Joyce Appleby, Terence Ball (1999). “Jefferson: Political Writings”, p.251, Cambridge University Press

The failure of one thing is repaired by the success of another.

Thomas Jefferson
Success, One Thing
Thomas Jefferson, Henry Augustine Washington (1854). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private : Published by the Order of the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, from the Original Manuscripts, Deposited in the Department of State”, p.6

Law is often the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual.

Thomas Jefferson
Law, Tyrants, Inalienable Rights
Thomas Jefferson, Joyce Appleby, Terence Ball (1999). “Jefferson: Political Writings”, p.224, Cambridge University Press

Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far. The Europeans value themselves on having subdued the horse to the uses of man; but I doubt whether we have not lost more than we have gained, by the use of this animal.

Thomas Jefferson
Horse, Exercise, Animal
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoir, correspondence and miscellanies from the papers of Thomas Jefferson”, p.287

Be a listener only, keep within yourself, and endeavor to establish with yourself the habit of silence, especially in politics.

Thomas Jefferson
Silence, Political, Politics
Thomas Jefferson, Joyce Appleby, Terence Ball (1999). “Jefferson: Political Writings”, p.279, Cambridge University Press

This I hope will be the age of experiments in government, and that their basis will be founded in principles of honesty, not of mere force.

Thomas Jefferson
Peace, Honesty, War
Thomas Jefferson (2010). “The Works of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence 1793-1798”, p.219, Cosimo, Inc.

I never before knew the full value of trees. Under them I breakfast, dine, write, read and receive my company.

Thomas Jefferson
Nature, Writing, Garden
Thomas Jefferson, Jerry Holmes (2002). “Thomas Jefferson: A Chronology of His Thoughts”, p.138, Rowman & Littlefield

Action will delineate and define you.

Thomas Jefferson
Motivational, Knowing Who You Are, Inspirational Team

Government can do something for the people only in proportion as it can do something to the people.

Thomas Jefferson
Government, People, Voting

Common sense is the foundation of all authorities, of the laws themselves, and of their construction.

Thomas Jefferson
Law, Common Sense, Foundation
Thomas Jefferson (1814). “The Proceedings of the Government of the United States in Maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, Against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston”, p.65

We may consider each generation as a distinct nation, with a right, by the will of its majority, to bind themselves, but none to bind the succeeding generation, more than the inhabitants of another country.

Thomas Jefferson
Country, Majority, Generations
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoirs, correspondence and private papers of Thomas Jefferson, ed. by T.J. Randolph”

Merchants have no country.

Thomas Jefferson
Country, Merchants
Thomas Jefferson (1861). “Correspondence”, p.334

Can one generation bind another, and all others, in succession forever? I think not. The Creator has made the earth for the living, not the dead. Rights and powers can only belong to persons, not to things, not to mere matter endowed with will...Nothing is unchangeable but the inherent and unalienable rights of man.

Thomas Jefferson
Men, Thinking, Rights

This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, not tolerate error as long as reason is left free to combat it.

Thomas Jefferson
Truth, War, Errors
Thomas Jefferson, Henry Augustine Washington (1859). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence. Reports and opinions while secretary of state”, p.196

Having seen the people of all other nations bowed down to the earth under the wars and prodigalities of their rulers, I have cherished their opposites, peace, economy, and riddance of public debt, believing that these were the high road to public as well as private prosperity and happiness.

Thomas Jefferson
Peace, War, Believe
Thomas Jefferson, Henry Augustine Washington (1854). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private : Published by the Order of the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, from the Original Manuscripts, Deposited in the Department of State”, p.91

It is (our) duty . . . to pay especial attention to the principles of government which shall be inculcated therein (at the University), and to provide that none shall be inculcated which are incompatible with those on which the Constitutions of this State, and of the United States were genuinely based, in the common opinion; and for this purpose it may be necessary to point out specially where these principles are to be found legitimately developed.

Thomas Jefferson
Education, Government, Principles

Truth is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless, by human interposition, disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.

Thomas Jefferson
Errors, Politics, Weapons
"A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom" (1779)

The example of changing a constitution by assembling the wise men of the state, instead of assembling armies, will be worth as much to the world as the former examples we had give them. The constitution, too, which was the result of our deliberation, is unquestionably the wisest ever yet presented to men.

Thomas Jefferson
Wise, Army, Men
Thomas Jefferson, Brett F. Woods (2009). “Thomas Jefferson: Thoughts on War and Revolution : Annotated Correspondence”, p.83, Algora Publishing

Dispositions of the mind, like limbs of the body, acquire strength by exercise.

Thomas Jefferson
Exercise, Mind, Body
Thomas Jefferson (1977). “The Portable Thomas Jefferson”, p.273, Penguin

We discover in the gospels a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstition, fanaticism and fabrication .

Thomas Jefferson
Religious, Father, Ignorance