Yet the hour of emancipation is advancing ... this enterprise is for the young; for those who can follow it up, and bear it through to it's consummation. It shall have all my prayers, and these are the only weapons of an old man.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of youth in driving forward the cause of emancipation and change.
Thomas Jefferson reflects on the progressive movement towards emancipation, expressing his belief that it is a responsibility that falls to the young who have the vigor and perseverance necessary to see it through to completion. As an older man, he offers his prayers as his contribution to this noble endeavor, emphasizing the significance of hope and dedication in enacting social change.
In practice
This quote can be shared at a youth empowerment rally.
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.
Your career is not going to go the way you planned. It is impossible at the age of 23 to pick the right industry, the right company, and you can visualize what you're going to be doing in your 40s, 50s, and 60s, but chances are that it's going to be something quite different. So remain open to opportunities and change.
My world has changed, and so have I. I have learned to choose and I have learned to say goodbye.
Things are always changing, so nothing can be yours.
Retirement requires the invention of a new hedonism, not a return to the hedonism of youth
Seek out your brothers and sisters of other cultures and join together in building alliances to put an end to all forms of racial discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice. There are people of good will of all races, religions, and nations who will join you in common quest for the betterment of society.
No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you've come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.
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