Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their constituents, must, from the circumstance of distance, be unable to administer and overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizens; and the same circumstance, by rendering detection impossible to their constituents, will invite public agents to corruption, plunder and waste.
Interpretation
A single government cannot effectively manage a large country, leading to corruption and mismanagement.
In this quote, Thomas Jefferson argues that a vast nation cannot be governed efficiently by a central authority alone. He emphasizes that distance from the public results in a lack of oversight, which may enable corruption and mismanagement by public officials. The quote highlights the importance of local governance and accountability in ensuring the welfare of citizens.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of local governance during a town hall meeting.
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
βWe 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.
We will keep the promise of Social Security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it - not by turning it over to Wall Street.
There might be a lot of difference between Republicans and Democrats on key social issues like women's rights and health care. But when it comes to taking corporate cash, they're pretty much the same beast.
Nations are born in the hearts of poets, they prosper and die in the hands of politicians.
There are still people in my party who believe in consensus politics. I regard them as Quislings, as traitors... I mean it.
There seems to be an increasing awareness of something we Americans have known for some time - that the ten most dangerous words in the English language are "Hi, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."
I know my limitations, and I don't like politics. I was only involved because of my husband.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.