Letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith (Primary source)
Jefferson wrote to his young namesake offering heartfelt advice for life, emphasizing virtue, duty, self-reliance, and prudence. He included a “Decalogue of Canons”—practical maxims like never trouble another for what you can do yourself—as guidance for character and conduct.
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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“Never spend your money before you have it.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary sourceMore quotes by Thomas Jefferson →
“He who thinks little, errs much.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Primary source“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Disputed“The years teach much which the days never know.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary source