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.
More about “Letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith” →
“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 that builds before he counts the cost, acts foolishly; and he that counts before he builds, finds he did not count wisely.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Disputed“We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source