“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes.”
Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence (Primary source)
The Declaration of Independence is America’s moment of resolve: a clear argument that people have rights, governments exist to protect them, and tyranny forfeits its authority. Part philosophy, part indictment, part breakup letter, it announces a radical idea—that legitimacy flows from the people, not power, and reshapes the modern world.
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“For here 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.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary source“Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary source“Never buy a what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary source“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
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“Wish not so much to live long as to live well.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Disputed“A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Nature is full of infinite causes that have never occured in experience.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Primary source