Thomas Jeffersons wisdom- gotta read this!

Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.
� At 5, began studying under his cousins tutor.

� At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
� At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
� At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
� At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
� At 23, started his own law practice.
� At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
� At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America " and retired from his law practice.
� At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
� At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence .
� At 33, took three years to revise Virginia ’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
� At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
�At 40, served in Congress for two years.
� At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
� At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
� At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
�At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
� At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .
�At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.
� At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
� At 65, retired to Monticello .
� At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
� At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
�At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe .
Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive
the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

I wish we could get this out to everyone!!!

I'm doing my part. Please do yours......

This looks like a mass email, and they generally have big errors. But this one doesn't seem too bad compared to others posted here. Maybe I nitpick too much, but here is what one factcheck site says about a few of the Jefferson quotes...

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."-Unproven! This quote was not found in the Jeffersonian Cyclopedia but several people have attributed this to Jefferson. This is still under investigation.

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."-Unproven! This quote was not found in the Jeffersonian Cyclopedia but several websites have attributed this to Jefferson.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."-Truth! Found on Page 51 Note:The entire quote reads: "No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms [within his own lands]" PROPOSED Virginia CONSTITUTION. FORD ED., ii, 27. (June, 1776.)

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."-Unproven! This quote was not found in the Jeffersonian Cyclopedia but several websites have attributed this to Jefferson.

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."- Misquoted! The correct quote is found on Page 663 "To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/j/jefferson-quotes.htm

That one about use of arms which they call true, was actually out of context in that apparently Jefferson was talking about use of arms on a person's own land.

Regardless of whether taken in or out of context, the view points reflect a person's philosophy. The authenticity of some quotes is another matter in itself. Like all opinions, you either like them or not. What becomes clear is that Jefferson had a keen intellect that is still acknowledged today. It would not be surprising to find quotes of his that contradict one another. When one learns throughout life, something I hope to achieve, like my mother before me, one's views evolve and it is not always unidirectional. I liked what I read.