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 spend your money before you have it.”
— 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.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary sourceMore quotes by Thomas Jefferson →
“Never spend your money before you have it.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary source“Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary source“The golden age never was the present age.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“I don’t want to be your friend, baby. I am your friend.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source