Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Thomas Jefferson US President

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Apr 13, 1743
  • Died: Jul 4, 1826

Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States. He was a spokesman for democracy, and embraced the principles of republicanism and the rights of the individual with worldwide influence. At the beginning of the American Revolution, he served in the Continental Congress, representing Virginia, and then served as a wartime Governor of Virginia. In May 1785, he became the United States Minister to France and later the first United States Secretary of State serving under President George Washington. In opposition to Alexander Hamilton's Federalism, Jefferson and his close friend, James Madison, organized the Democratic-Republican Party, and later resigned from Washington's cabinet. Elected Vice President in 1796 in the administration of John Adams, Jefferson opposed Adams, and with Madison secretly wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which attempted to nullify the Alien and Sedition Acts.

When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred. anger

I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. God

In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty. age

Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it. friendship & peace

Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations entangling alliances with none. friendship & peace

One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more. alone & travel

The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind. government & war

To penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education. education

It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read. religion

That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part. government

If God is just, I tremble for my country. God

Truth is certainly a branch of morality and a very important one to society. society & truth

It is neither wealth nor splendor but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness. happiness

Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government. government

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just that his justice cannot sleep forever. God

I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another. war

It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself. alone, government & truth

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. government

Politics is such a torment that I advise everyone I love not to mix with it. love & politics

Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. motivational

The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. inspirational & money

I own that I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive. government

My theory has always been, that if we are to dream, the flatteries of hope are as cheap, and pleasanter, than the gloom of despair. hope

It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. God

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. time

I have no fear that the result of our experiment will be that men may be trusted to govern themselves without a master. fear & men

Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong. truth

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances. cool

I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend. politics & religion

Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct. politics

The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory. imagination

When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property. trust

As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also. men

It takes time to persuade men to do even what is for their own good. good, men & time

I abhor war and view it as the greatest scourge of mankind. war

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. wisdom

There is not a truth existing which I fear... or would wish unknown to the whole world. fear & truth

My only fear is that I may live too long. This would be a subject of dread to me. fear

For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security. best

Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty. men

He who knows best knows how little he knows. best

The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. God, life & time

Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very fast. best & fitness

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. government & history

The most successful war seldom pays for its losses. war

Money, not morality, is the principle commerce of civilized nations. money

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground. government

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

Happiness is not being pained in body or troubled in mind. happiness

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be. hope, power & wisdom

Conquest is not in our principles. It is inconsistent with our government. government

He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors. knowledge & truth

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories. alone & government

Never spend your money before you have earned it. money

Power is not alluring to pure minds. power

I have no ambition to govern men it is a painful and thankless office. men & politics

The good opinion of mankind, like the lever of Archimedes, with the given fulcrum, moves the world. good

Wisdom I know is social. She seeks her fellows. But Beauty is jealous, and illy bears the presence of a rival. beauty & wisdom

One man with courage is a majority. courage

Difference of opinion is advantageous in religion. The several sects perform the office of a Censor - over each other. religion

I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another. good

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. dreams, future & history

I find that he is happiest of whom the world says least, good or bad. good

There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents. men

History, in general, only informs us of what bad government is. government & history

When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty. fear & government

The second office in the government is honorable and easy the first is but a splendid misery. government

No government ought to be without censors and where the press is free no one ever will. government

One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them. hope

War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses. war