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Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government

"The principles of Jefferson are the axioms of a free society." --Abraham Lincoln

Favorite Jefferson Quotes

This separate collection contains a selection of the most popular of the quotations from Jefferson's writings as presented more fully here. These quotes are especially useful for writing and speaking. They are contained in six easily downloaded files.

This collection contains over 2,700 quotations from the writings of Thomas Jefferson. To download the special collection of over 400 quotations, see the option at the end of the Table of Contents.

This collection derives from the collection by the same name authored by Eyler Robert Coates and hosted originally on the University of Virginia website. Click here for more details.

SUGGESTION: Those interested in downloading a whole chapter of the main collection without HTML codes can do so using "Save As..." to a text file (with a .txt ending).

Table of Contents

I. The Fundamentals of Government

1. Inalienable Rights
2. Securing Rights
3. Moral Principles
4. Moral Degeneracy
5. The Sovereignty of the People
6. The Safest Depository

II. The Theory of Republican Government

7. Republican Principles
8. Majority Rule
9. Self-Government
10. Good Government
11. Governed by Reason
12. Difference of Opinion
13. Political Parties

III. The Structure of Republican Government

14. Constitutions: State & Federal
15. The Bill of Rights
16. Amending the Constitution
17. Interpreting the Constitution
18. Judicial Review
19. Separation of Powers: Federal and State
20. Against Consolidated Government
21. Separation of Powers: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
22. Elective Government
23. Legislative Branch
24. The Legislators
25. Executive Branch
26. Presidential Elections
27. The Art of Governing
28. Duties of the Executive
29. Judicial Branch

IV. Government Policy in a Republic

30. The Justice System
31. Immigration Policy
32. Racial Policy
33. Native American Policy
34. Public Works & Public Assistance
35. Commerce & Agriculture
36. Money & Banking
37. Taxation & Fiscal Responsibility
38. The National Debt
39. Educating the People
40. Publicly Supported Education
41. Foreign Relations
42. The Rights of Nations
43. Foreign Commerce
44. Peace & War
45. Unavoidable Wars
46. A Republic at War
47. The Military & the Militia

V. Citizen Rights in a Republic

48. Civil Rights

    Free Correspondence
    Freedom of Conscience
    Harmful Opinions
    The Right to Bear Arms
    Other Rights

49. Juridical Rights

    Habeas Corpus
    Trial by Jury
    Jury Nullification

50. Property Rights
51. Freedom of the Press
52. Freedom of Religion

VI. The Prospects for Self-Government

53. Duties of Citizens
54. The Spread of Self-Government
55. Revolution and Reformation
56. The Future of Democracy in America

Recommended Collections of Jefferson's Writings

Other Sites with Jefferson Information

Additional collections of freedom quotes

For a more complete collection of quotations on freedom subjects by many authors, see:

1. Sovereignty and Freedom Points and Authorities, Litigation Tool #10.018
   https://sedm.org/Litigation/10-PracticeGuides/PointsAuth.pdf
2. Famous Quotes on Rights and Liberty, Form #08.001-Sovereignty Education and Defense Ministry (SEDM)
   http://sedm.org/Forms/08-PolicyDocs/FamousQuotes.pdf
3. Wisdom/Philosophy Topic -Family Guardian Fellowship
4. Paul Mitchell's Collection of Religious Quotations -Family Guardian Fellowship
5. Quotations About Liberty and Power (OFFSITE LINK) -Online Library of Liberty

Notes:

1. Download a subset of this Quotation Collection -contains the 400 most frequently cited Jefferson quotations. Useful for speaking and writing.
2. Notes on the Editing
   

   A small number of quotations are followed by the sign, (*). This designates a quote that has been 'generalized.' In its original form, the vital principle was stated in terms of a specific application. The form stated here has words added in brackets or phrases rearranged so as to give it a general, rather than a specific and, usually, dated reading. Of course, none of this is contrary to the underlying principle as expressed by Jefferson. The purpose is to extract that principle and to make available an important point that must otherwise be omitted. When this is done, more complete bibliographical information is provided so that the reader can easily verify the precise wording and context if desired.

   Both the spelling and the punctuation of the quotations have been edited to conform with modern usage. Alterations to the punctuation consist mostly of fewer commas. The practice in Jefferson's time was to set off almost every phrase with commas. Today, commas are used to convey the structure of a sentence more precisely, and too many commas undermine that depiction of structure and make the sentences more difficult for modern readers to understand.

   The designation in the form, "Papers, 1:423," is a reference to the location of the quote in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. The designation in the form, "ME 12:345," refers to the location in The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors. "FE 9:234" refers to the Ford Edition of the writings. See the section Recommended Collections and Sources for further information.