Aristocrats fear the people, and wish to transfer all power to the higher classes of society.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the fear aristocrats have of the populace and their desire to maintain power among the elite.
In this quote, Thomas Jefferson critiques the aristocracy's apprehension towards the common people, implying that the elite seek to control governance to safeguard their privileges. Jefferson's statement reflects a broader philosophical debate about power distribution and societal hierarchies, emphasizing the tension between the ruling classes and the masses.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the importance of democratic governance versus elitist control.
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
βWe must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart of the American Dream.
Sanctions did indeed help to bring Iran to the negotiating table. But sanctions did not stop the advance of Iran's nuclear program. Negotiations have done that, and it is in our interest not to deny ourselves the chance to achieve a long-term, comprehensive solution that would deny Iran a nuclear weapon.
The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.
A constitution that is made for all nations is made for none.
One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing genuine democracy to a country.
Democracy's a very fragile thing. You have to take care of democracy. As soon as you stop being responsible to it and allow it to turn into scare tactics, it's no longer democracy, is it? It's something else. It may be an inch away from totalitarianism.
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