What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and power into one body, no matter whether of the autocrats of Russia or France, or of the aristocrats of a Venetian senate.
Interpretation
The quote warns against the dangers of centralizing power in a single authority, which threatens individual liberties.
Thomas Jefferson's quote expresses a critical view on the concentration of power, arguing that whether it is held by autocrats or aristocrats, such centralization inherently endangers liberty and the rights of individuals. It highlights a fundamental concern about governance—when authority is generalized and consolidated in one body, it can lead to oppression and the destruction of personal freedoms.
In practice
In a discussion about government reform, one might invoke this quote to emphasize the need for decentralization of power.
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
We 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.
Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.
Law is the essential foundation of stability and order both within societies and in international relations.
How can it be "mutually beneficial" to sell at world market prices the raw materials that cost the underdeveloped countries immeasurable sweat and suffering.
Mankind has been and is divided into three parts: the Haves, the Have-Nots, and the Have-a-Little, Want Mores.
Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two. Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone's control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.
Man who man would be, must rule the empire of himself.
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