Famous Quotes of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
1743-1826. Third president of the United States (1801-1809) and author of the Declaration of Independence.
I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing excellent to another.
My only dread is that I may live too long. This would be a subject of dread to me.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are made equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness–That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such Principles and and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. . . .
The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
I am mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, the sale of a book can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too.
I find the pain of a small censure, even when it is unfounded, is more acute than the pleasure of much praise.
I find that the pain of a small censure, even when it is unfounded, is more acute than the pleasure of much praise.
In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.
The constitution, on this hypothesis, is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the Judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please.
Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.
A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.
And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.
Never spend your money before you have it.
We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are made equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness.
Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail.
The earth is given as a common for men to labor and live in.
I place economy among the first and most vital virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers … We must make our choice between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the.
Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.
There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents.
I cannot live without books.
For here we are not worried to follow truth wherever it may lead…
The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object.
Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a excellent conscience, excellent health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.
Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing, but newspapers.
A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high virtues of a excellent citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation.
Traveling makes a man wiser, but less pleased.
Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, question yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly.
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