I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles.
Interpretation
Political principles often lead to opposition from those with differing views.
Thomas Jefferson highlights the idea that in the realm of public life, individuals who hold strong political beliefs and possess the drive to act on them will inevitably face opposition from those who disagree. This underscores the adversarial nature of political discourse, where differing principles are met with hostility, reflecting the contentious environment characterized by diverse ideological perspectives.
In practice
This quote can be used in a debate about the role of political principles in society.
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.
Our foreign policy has made a wreck of this planet. I'm always in Africa... And when I go to these places I see American policy written on the walls of oppression everywhere.
He who uses the office he owes to the voters wrongfully and against them is a thief.
Of course Brexit means that something is wrong in Europe. But Brexit means also that something was wrong in Britain.
If you woke up this morning and you are breathing, and you are Muslim, then you are political. You have no choice but to be political in a country that has politicized you and politicized your religion.
Those looking for ideology in the White House should consider this: For the men who rule our world, rules are for other people.
This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.