Our country’s birthday is worth celebrating a little longer. In honor of the day I set out to look through my very long quote file for words from our founders. There are a great many words these thoughtful, wise men put to paper or speech—far more than have made their way into my quote file. And there are many good words from people since then, but I need to cut down somewhere to make things sharable, so I limited it to the founders, which leaves out historical wisdom from earlier or later times.
As I scrolled through the file, I found that I had more
quotes from Thomas Jefferson than anyone else but probably Thomas Sowell (I used
to get a quote from him nearly every week when he was writing his column). I
was trying to get a representation from a number of the founders. But every
time I told myself that I wasn’t going to include any more from Jefferson, I’d
see another that was too good to leave out.
So I made a decision. Today’s quotes all come from Thomas Jefferson—a quiet person who had a way with written words, qualities I relate to (and try to emulate). Then—barring some news event that gets in the way—there will be a part two later in the week with words from several others of the founders. One thing I expect you’ll notice from all of them is how much their belief in God is intertwined with the ideas of freedom they express.
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| "Declaration of Independence," by John Trumbull image from Wikipedia |
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson presidential portrait
by Rembrandt Peale
image from Wikipedia
“This was the object of the Declaration
of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before
thought of, not merely to say things which have never been said before; but to
place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and
firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent
stand we are compelled to take. Neither
aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any
particular or previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the
American mind, and to give that expression the proper tone and spirit called
for by the occasion.”—Thomas Jefferson
"Adore God. Reverence and cherish your parents.
Love your neighbor as yourself, and your country more than yourself. Be just.
Be true. Murmur not at the ways of Providence."—Thomas Jefferson (1825)
“The
policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither
restraining nor aiding them in their pursuits.”—Thomas Jefferson
"The issue today is the same as it has been
throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be
ruled by a small elite."—Thomas Jefferson
"One man with courage is a
majority."—Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson portrait by Thomas Sully, 1821
commissioned by West Point faculty and cadets;
image from Wikipedia
"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."—Thomas
Jefferson
"A wise and frugal government which shall
restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free
to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take
from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good
government."—Thomas Jefferson (First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801)
“The two enemies
of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with
the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized
version of the first.”—Thomas Jefferson
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties
of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a
conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from
God?”—Thomas Jefferson
Almighty God,
Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that
we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy
will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners.
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and
from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people,
the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy
spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government,
that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy
law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of
prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer
not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our
Lord, Amen.—Thomas Jefferson (Prayer, March 4, 1801)
"Whensoever the General Government assumes
undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force"—Thomas
Jefferson
“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for
the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.”—Thomas Jefferson
inside the Jefferson Memorial,
from a trip in 2014
“I predict future
happiness for America if they can prevent the government from wasting the
labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”—Thomas
Jefferson
What country can preserve its liberty
if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the
spirit of resistance? —Thomas Jefferson (November 13, 1787)
"The democracy will cease
to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to
those who would not."—Thomas Jefferson
“I
have sworn, upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of
tyranny over the mind of man.”—Thomas Jefferson
“When
once a republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the
growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles;
every other correction is either useless or a new evil."—Thomas Jefferson
“The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before
they shall have gotten hold on us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the
fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have
entered.”—Thomas Jefferson (1781)
An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.—Thomas Jefferson
inside the Jefferson Memorial,
from a trip in 2014
"A
question of some doubt might be raised...as to the rights and duties of society
towards its members, infant and adult. Is it a right or a duty in society to
take care of their infant members in opposition to the will of the parent? How
far does this right and duty extend? To guard the life of the infant, his
property, his instruction, his morals? The Roman father was supreme in all
these; we draw the line, but where? Public sentiment does not seem to have
traced it precisely. Nor is it necessary in the present case. It is better to
tolerate the rare instance of a parent refusing to let his child be educated
than to shock the common feelings and ideas by the forcible asportation and
education of the infant against the will of the father."—Thomas Jefferson
(1817, Bill for Establishing Elementary Schools, The Writings of Thomas
Jefferson, edited by Albert Ellery Bergh)
"No
free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the
people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to
protect themselves against tyranny in government."-- Thomas Jefferson (Thomas
Jefferson Papers, 334)
The last hope of human liberty in this world
rests in us.
—Thomas Jefferson, 1811
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