State a moral case to a ploughman and a professor. The former will decide it as well, and often better than the latter, because he has not been led astray by artificial rules.

Thomas Jefferson

Read this letter at the National Archives website

More information about this quote

Topic

Populism Salt of the earth

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1787 1780s 18th century

Era

American Revolutionary Period

Occupation

Founding Father American President National leader Politician

From

United States

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Peter Carr. 10 Aug. 1787.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "Peter Carr, Aug. 10, 1787." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Including the Autobiography, The Declaration of Independence & His Public and Private Letters, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Thomas Jefferson about populism: “State a moral case to a ploughman and a professor. The former will decide…”
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A quote by Thomas Jefferson about populism: “State a moral case to a ploughman and a professor. The former will decide…”
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A quote by Thomas Jefferson about populism: “State a moral case to a ploughman and a professor. The former will decide…”
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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote by Thomas Jefferson

What a stupendous, what an incomprehensible machine is man! Who can endure toil, famine, stripes, imprisonment, & death itself in vindication of his own liberty, and the next moment... Inflict on his fellow men a bondage, one hour of which is fraught with more misery than ages of that which he rose in rebellion to oppose.

Thomas Jefferson

More information about this quote
Topic
Duality of man

Author

Thomas Jefferson
Medium
Letter
Language
English
Time
1786 1780s 18th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Jean Nicholas Demeunier. 24 Jan. 1786.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private, edited by H. A. Washington. Vol. 9, Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Another quote from the 1780s

Every project has been found to be no better than committing the lamb to the custody of the wolf, except that one which is called a balance of power.

John Adams

More information about this quote
Topic
Constitutional theory Political theory

Author

John Adams
Source
Letters of John Adams
Medium
Letter
Statement Type
Metaphor, analogy and simile
Language
English
Time
1789 1780s 18th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Adams, John. Letter to Roger Sherman. 17 July 1789.

Current Citation

Adams, John. "Correspondence with Roger Sherman and John Taylor." The Portable John Adams. Penguin Classics, 2004.