#the

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

— Thomas Jefferson

#destruction #first #good #good government #government

None but an armed nation can dispense with a standing army. To keep ours armed and disciplined is therefore at all times important. ↗

— Thomas Jefferson

#army #disciplined #dispense #important #keep

It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others: or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own. ↗

— Thomas Jefferson

#behooves #case #change #circumstances #conscience

Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. ↗

— Thomas Jefferson

#government #hesitate #i #latter #left

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

— Thomas Jefferson

#fight #found #let us #like #men

Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question. ↗

— Thomas Jefferson

#answer #cannot #form #found #govern

Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains. ↗

— Thomas Jefferson

#constitute #country #does #draw #gains

It is our duty still to endeavor to avoid war; but if it shall actually take place, no matter by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves. If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it. ↗

— Thomas Jefferson

#avoid #brought #defend #duty #endeavor

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

— Thomas Jefferson

#fear #govern #i #master #may

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

— Thomas Jefferson

#own #people #their #trusted #well-informed