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Thomas Jefferson Quotes about Writing

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I deplore with you the putrid state into which our newspapers have passed, and the malignity, the vulgarity, and mendacious spirit of those who write for them. ... This has in a great degree been produced by the

I deplore with you the putrid state into which our newspapers have passed, and the malignity, the vulgarity, and mendacious spirit of those who write for them. ... This has in a great degree been produced by the violence and malignity of party spirit.

Thomas Jefferson
Party, Writing, Degrees
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoirs, Correspondence and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Late President of the United States”, p.240

The liberty of speaking and writing guards our other liberties.

Thomas Jefferson
Communication, Writing, Liberty

The office of reformer of the superstitions of a nation, is ever more dangerous. Jesus had to work on the perilous confines of reason and religion; and a step to the right or left might place him within the grasp of the priests of the superstition, a bloodthirsty race, as cruel and remorseless as the being whom they represented as the family God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, and the local God of Israel. That Jesus did not mean to impose himself on mankind as the son of God, physically speaking, I have been convinced by the writings of men more learned than myself in that lore.

Thomas Jefferson
Jesus, Mean, Writing

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

Required to be constantly recumbent I write slowly and with difficulty.... Weakened in body by infirmities and in mind by age, now far gone into my 83rd year, reading one newspaper only and forgetting immediately what I read.

Thomas Jefferson
Reading, Writing, Years

Students of reading, writing and common arithmetick . . . Graecian [Greek], Roman, English and American history . . . should be rendered . . . worthy to receive, and able to guard the sacred deposit of the rights and liberties of their fellow citizens.

Thomas Jefferson
Education, Reading, Writing

Take care that you never spell a word wrong. Always before you write a word, consider how it is spelled, and, if you do not remember, turn to a dictionary. It produces great praise to a lady to spell well. to his daughter Martha

Thomas Jefferson
Daughter, Writing, Caring
Thomas Jefferson, Joyce Appleby, Terence Ball (1999). “Jefferson: Political Writings”, p.45, Cambridge University Press

In the constitution of Spain as proposed by the late Cortes, there was a principle entirely new to me:... that no person born after that day should ever acquire the rights of citizenship until he could read and write. It is impossible sufficiently to estimate the wisdom of this provision. Of all those which have been thought of for securing fidelity in the administration of the government, constant reliance to the principles of the constitution, and progressive amendments with the progressive advances of the human mind or changes in human affairs, it is the most effectual.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Rights, Government

No stile of writing is so delightful as that which is all pith, which never omits a necessary word, nor uses an unnecessary one.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Use, Unnecessary

I would observe to you that what is called style in writing or speaking is formed very early in life while the imagination is warm, and impressions are permanent.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Imagination, Style
Thomas Jefferson (1977). “The Portable Thomas Jefferson”, p.309, Penguin

Take painsto write a neat round, plain hand, and you will find it a great convenience through life to write a small and compact hand as well as a fair and legible one.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Hands, Convenience

Do not write me studied letters but ramble as you please.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Letters, Please

Where strictness of grammar does not weaken expression, it should be attended to. . . . But where, by small grammatical negligences, the energy of an idea is condensed, or a word stands for a sentence, I hold grammatical rigor in contempt.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Expression, Ideas
Thomas Jefferson (2010). “The Works of Thomas Jefferson: 1799-1803”, p.321, Cosimo, Inc.

No instance exists of a person's writing two language perfectly. That will always appear to be his native language which was most familiar to him in his youth.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Native Language, Two
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoirs Corespondence and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson Late, President of the United States: Now First Published the Original Manuscripts”, p.347

On the subject of the history of the American Revolution, you ask who shall write it? Who can write it? And who will ever be able to write it? Nobody, except merely its external facts... all its councils, designs and discussions having been conducted by Congress [behind] closed doors - and no members, as far as I know, having even made notes of them. These, which are the life and soul of history, must forever be unknown.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Doors, Forever

The following [addition to the Bill of Rights] would have pleased me: The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or otherwise to publish anything but false facts affecting injuriously the life, liberty or reputation of others, or affecting the peace of the [United States] with foreign nations.

Thomas Jefferson
Writing, Rights, People