Thomas Jefferson

"I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man, and I am so sure that you will join me in this sentiment."

"The dead shall not rule the living."

"The spirit of this country is totally opposed to a large military force."

"A conscious man is only made whole in the eyes of the world when he dies."

"From Monticello, I cultivate my fields and consider myself as a patriot at home in the bosom of my country."

"I am an enthusiast in the cause of liberty, and that therefore I become a fanatic."

"I have never suffered anxiety about my own reputation, for I have always believed that the public would ultimately come to right conclusions."

"The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family."

"My temperament is sanguine. I steer my bark with Hope in the head, leaving Fear astern."

"No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another."

"I have found that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."

"Where there is regal power, there is unequal rights."

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground."

"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any."

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!"

"I am mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, the sale of a book can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too."

"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the governed, our first object should be to obtain that of every being."

"Take care of your life, and the Lord will take care of your death."

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."

"Delay is preferable to error."

"We are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."

"Taste cannot be controlled by law."

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be."

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

"I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my talents, I should have been on my knees every day of my life."

"Nobody can deny that the taste of music and of the other fine arts is a very agreeable and inexpensive source of gratification."

"He who fears God has nothing else to fear."

"The improvements of the human mind have always been carried forward by those who toil not in the field or factory."

"I find that the harder I work, the more I have faith."