Thomas Jefferson

American Founding Father, statesman, architect, and philosopher, 3rd President of the United States (1743-1826)

8 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

Thomas Jefferson, born April 13, 1743, in Virginia, was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States (1801-1809). He also served as Governor of Virginia, Minister to France, Secretary of State, and Vice President. Architect of Monticello and founder of the University of Virginia, he championed religious freedom and education. His legacy is complex: despite advocating for human rights, he enslaved people throughout his life. He died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Major works

Declaration of Independence (1776)political document
Notes on the State of Virginia (1785)book
A Manual of Parliamentary Practice (1801)manual
The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazarethcompilation

Key milestones

1776Writes the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4.
1803Completes the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the United States.
1825Founds the University of Virginia, designing its buildings and curriculum.

Themes

Liberty and human rightsSeparation of church and stateEducation and knowledgeArchitecture and designSlavery and contradiction

Sources: monticello.org · loc.gov

“I am a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work the more luck I have.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Work

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“'% R, Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Motivation

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“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Motivation

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“The body achieves what the mind believes. To learn, you have to listen. To improve, you have to try.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Health

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“It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation, which give happiness.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Happiness

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“The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Health

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“In matters of style swim with the current; In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Wisdom

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“Of the various executive abilities, no one excited more anxious concern than that of placing the interests of our fellow-citizens in the hands of honest men, with understanding sufficient for their stations. No duty is at the same time more difficult to fulfill. The knowledge of character possessed by a single individual is of necessity limited. To seek out the best through the whole Union , we must resort to the information which from the best of men, acting disinterestedly and with the purest motives, is sometimes incorrect.”

— Thomas JeffersonTheme · Politics

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