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When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.

Thomas Jefferson

I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Freedom Legal Religion
History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Believe Government History Ignorance People Religious
To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Believe Fund Government Ideas Man Money
The dead should not rule the living.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Dead Deep Government Live Politics Rule
On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Inspirational Principle Rock Stand Style Swim
It is an axiom in my mind, that our liberty can never be safe but in the hands of the people themselves, and that too of the people with a certain degree of instruction. This it is the business of the State to effect, and on a general plan.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Business Democracy Instruction Liberty Mind People
If you want something you’ve never had, You must be willing to do something you’ve never done.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Confidence Courage Hustle Inspirational Trust Work Hard
But friendship is precious, not only in the shade but in the sunshine of life; & thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. I will recur for proof to the days we have lately passed. On these indeed the sun shone brightly.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Arrangement Friendship Precious Proof Sun Sunshine
How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Cost Evil Happen Healing Pain Suffering
I have no ambition to govern men; it is a painful and thankless office.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Ambition Men Pain Truth
Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Constitution Government Men Politics Scare Touch
Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Believe Ignorance Prefer Truth
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Calm Courage Liberty Men Prefer Time
The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Disease Doctor Future Human Medicine Prevention
History, in general, only informs us what bad government is.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Bad Government History Politics
No people can be both ignorant and free.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Freedom Ignorant One Liner Peace People
The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Art Consist Government Honesty
Every day is lost in which we do not learn something useful. Man has no nobler or more valuable possession than time.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Knowledge Learning Lost Man Time Value
The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Fund Future Money Principle
The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Gain Government Ground Liberty Progress
Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Authority Exist Leaving People Responsible
Let us save what remains: not by vaults and locks which fence them from the public eye and use in consigning them to the waste of time, but by such a multiplication of copies, as shall place them beyond the reach of accident.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Accident Heritage History Public Time Wasted Time
When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Fear Government Liberty People Politics
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Atmosphere Government Liberty Resistance Spirit Storm
The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Bank Belong People Power Restore
Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Animal Experience Man Poor Prey Rich
I think one travels more usefully when they travel alone, because they reflect more.
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Alone One Liner Reflect Solitude Thinking Travel

When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.

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When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.

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