The trifling economy of paper, as a cheaper medium, or its convenience for transmission, weighs nothing in opposition to the advantages of the precious metals it is liable to be abused, has been, is, and forever will be abused, in every country in which it is permitted.
Interpretation
The quote argues that while paper currency may be convenient and cheaper, it poses risks of abuse compared to the stability of precious metals.
In this quote, Thomas Jefferson expresses his skepticism towards paper currency, emphasizing that despite its affordability and ease of use, it inherently invites misuse and corruption. He contends that the intrinsic value and stability provided by precious metals outweigh the temporary benefits of a paper-based economy, highlighting a concern for economic integrity that persists throughout history.
In practice
During a discussion on the dangers of inflation and economic instability.
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.
This American government - what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will.
I want to be identified with the negro; until he gets his rights, we shall never have ours.
Our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths of our life, never leave us. Surely they can not separate from our consciousness, shall follow it whithersoever that shall go, and are of their nature divine and immortal.
One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it-- it was the black kitten's fault entirely.
Everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and it serves you.
My long struggles as a soldier of the Chinese Revolution have forced me to realize the necessity of facing hard facts. There will be neither peace, nor hope, nor future for any of us unless we honestly aim at political, social and economic justice for all peoples of the world, great and small.
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