“I have observed, indeed, generally, that while in protestant countries the defections from the Platonic Christianity of the priests is to Deism, in catholic countries they are to Atheism. Diderot, D'Alembert, D’Holbach, Condorcet, are known to have been among the most virtuous of men. Their virtue, then, must have had some other foundation than the love of God.
[Letter to Thomas Law, 13 June 1814]”
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
[Letter to Thomas Law, 13 June 1814]”
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
“When the clergy addressed General Washington on his departure from the government, it was observed in their consultation that he had never on any occasion said a word to the public which showed a belief in the Christian religion and they thought they should so pen their address as to force him at length to declare publicly whether he was a Christian or not. They did so. However [Dr. Rush] observed the old fox was too cunning for them. He answered every article of their address particularly except that, which he passed over without notice... I know that Gouverneur Morris, who pretended to be in his secrets & believed himself to be so, has often told me that General Washington believed no more of that system than he himself did.
{The Anas, February 1, 1800, written shortly after the death of first US president George Washington}”
― The Complete Anas of Thomas Jefferson
{The Anas, February 1, 1800, written shortly after the death of first US president George Washington}”
― The Complete Anas of Thomas Jefferson
“...vast accession of strength from their younger recruits, who having nothing in them of the feelings or principles of ’76 now look to a single and splendid government of an Aristocracy, founded on banking institutions and monied in corporations under the guise and cloak of their favored branches of manufactures commerce and navigation, riding and ruling over the plundered ploughman and beggared yeomanry.”
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
― Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
― Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“I write nothing for publication, and last of all things should it be on the subject of religion. On the dogmas of religion as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarrelling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind. Were I to enter on that arena, I should only add an unit to the number of Bedlamites.
[Letter to Mathew Carey, 11 November 1816]”
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
[Letter to Mathew Carey, 11 November 1816]”
― Letters of Thomas Jefferson
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