Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Explore 14 quotes from Letters of Thomas Jefferson

A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.

Thomas Jefferson

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Topic

Rebellion Revolution Political theory Politics

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1787 1780s 18th century

Era

American Revolutionary Period

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to James Madison. 30 Jan. 1787.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "James Madison, Jan. 30, 1787." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

The earth belongs to the living, not to the dead.

Thomas Jefferson

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Topic

Past generations

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1813 1810s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to John W. Eppes. 24 June 1813.

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.

Thomas Jefferson

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Topic

Informed citizenry Ignorance

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1816 1810s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey. 6 Jan. 1816.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "Colonel Charles Yancey, Jan. 6, 1816." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library Classics, 1998.

We are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.

Thomas Jefferson

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Topic

Faith in reason Free exchange of ideas

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1820 1820s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to William Roscoe. 27 Dec. 1820.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "William Roscoe, Dec. 27, 1820." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

No society can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs always to the living generation.

Thomas Jefferson

Letter to James Madison, 1789

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Topic

The only constant is change

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letter to James Madison, 1789 Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1789 1780s 18th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to James Madison. 6 Sept. 1789.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "James Madison, Sept. 6, 1789." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

We have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.

Thomas Jefferson

On American slavery.

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Topic

Slavery

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1820 1820s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to John Holmes. 22 Apr. 1820.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "John Holmes, April 22, 1820." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

While in Europe, I often amused myself with contemplating the characters of the then reigning sovereigns of Europe. Lous XVI was a fool, of my own knowledge, and in despite of the answers made at his trial. The King of Spain was a fool, and of Naples the same. They passed their lives in hunting, and despatched two courtiers a week, one thousand miles, to let each other know what game they had killed the preceding days. The King of Sardinia was a fool. All these were Bourbons. The Queen of Portugal, a Braganza, was an idiot by nature. And so was the King of Denmark. Their sons, as regents, exercised the powers of government. The King of Prussia, successor to the great Frederick, was a mere hog in body as well as in mind. Gustavus of Sweden, and Joseph of Austria, were really crazy, and George of England you know was in a straight waistcoat.

Thomas Jefferson

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Topic

Anti-monarchism

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1810 1810s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Governor John Langdon. 5 Mar. 1810.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "Governor John Langdon, March 5, 1810." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

I cannot live without books.

Thomas Jefferson

Letter to John Adams, 1815

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Topic

Books

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letter to John Adams, 1815 Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1815 1810s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to John Adams. 10 June 1815.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "Jefferson to Adams • Monticello, June 10." The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams, edited by Lester J. Cappon. Omohundro Institute and The University of North Carolina Press, 1988.

Never fear the want of business. A man who qualifies himself well for his calling, never fails of employment.

Thomas Jefferson

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Topic

Jobs Work

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1792 1790s 18th century

Authentication Score 2

Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Peter Carr. 22 June 1792.

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.

Thomas Jefferson

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Topic

Purpose of government Political theory

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Open letter Letter

Language

English

Time

1809 1800s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to the Republican Citizens of Washington County, Maryland. 31 Mar. 1809.

I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion.

Thomas Jefferson

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More information about this quote

Topic

Informed citizenry Political theory

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1820 1820s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to William Charles Jarvis. 28 Sept. 1820.

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual, he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.

Thomas Jefferson

Read this letter at the National Archives website

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Topic

Lying

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1785 1780s 18th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Peter Carr. 19 Aug. 1785.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "Peter Carr, Aug. 19, 1785." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

And even should the cloud of barbarism and despotism again obscure the science and liberties of Europe, this country remains to preserve and restore light and liberty to them. In short, the flames kindled on the fourth of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them.

Thomas Jefferson

Letter to John Adams, 1821

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Topic

Declaration of Independence Spread of freedom and democracy

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letter to John Adams, 1821 Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1821 1820s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to John Adams. 12 Sept. 1821.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "John Adams, Sept. 12, 1821." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.

The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them.

Thomas Jefferson

More information about this quote

Topic

Newspapers Media criticism

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Source

Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Medium

Letter

Language

English

Time

1807 1800s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to John Norvell. 11 June 1807.

Current Citation

Jefferson, Thomas. "John Norvell, June 11, 1807." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library Classics, 1998.