[If a book were] very innocent, and one which might be confided to the reason of any man; not likely to be much read if let alone, but if persecuted, it will be generally read. Every man in the United States will think it a duty to buy a copy, in vindication of his right to buy and to read what he pleases.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of intellectual freedom and how censorship can increase interest in ideas.
Thomas Jefferson highlights the paradox of censorship: books that might otherwise remain unread gain attention when they are persecuted or banned. This response not only reflects the inherent human desire for freedom of thought but also encourages individuals to assert their rights by engaging with controversial works, underscoring the vital role of literature in fostering open discourse and critical thinking within society.
In practice
In a speech about the value of free speech, one might say, 'As Thomas Jefferson reminds us, persecution of ideas only fuels our desire to read and understand them.'
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
We must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
All of these young people have some kind of potential in them. And if we don't invest in them as a nation, regardless of where they come from or what color they are, if we don't invest in them, we lose.
Give a child love, laughter and peace, not AIDS.
I have read my books by many lights, hoarding their beauty, their wit or wisdom against the dark days when I would have no book, nor a place to read. I have known hunger of the belly kind many times over, but I have known a worse hunger: the need to know and to learn.
Any man is educated who knows where to get knowledge when he needs it, and how to organize that knowledge into definite plans of action.
Journalism is what we need to make democracy work.
Not every book has to be loaded with symbolism, irony, or musical language, but it seems to me that every book-at least every one worth reading-is about something.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.