My only fear is that I may live too long. This would be a subject of dread to me.
Interpretation
Jefferson expresses a fear of enduring a prolonged life, suggesting that living too long can lead to suffering or despair.
In this quote, Thomas Jefferson reflects on the idea that a long life is not always a blessing. He implies that the burden of living too long might be filled with dread and suffering, perhaps due to the loss of loved ones, diminishing health, or the weight of regret. Jefferson's words provoke thought about the quality of life versus its quantity, emphasizing that mere survival can become a source of distress when life's joys wane.
In practice
During a discussion about aging, one might quote Jefferson to express concerns about the implications of living a long life.
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.
If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: search after Truth through non-violent means. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth.
Things may look different to you than they did before. I've had that experience myself. But don't let appearances fool you. There's only one reality.
It is only when human beings see themselves simply as human beings, no longer as gods, that they are in a position to perceive the wholly other nature of God.
All history is contemporary history.
For me, peace is a fundamental human right of every child; it is inevitable and divine.
I loathed the game, and since I could see no pleasure or usefulness in it, it was very difficult for me to show courage at it. Football, it seemed to me, is not really played for the pleasure of kicking a ball about, but is a species of fighting.
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