life is of no value but as it brings gratifications. among the most valuable of these is rational society. it informs the mind, sweetens the temper, chears our spirits, and promotes health.
Interpretation
Life gains its value through the fulfillment and joys it provides, particularly within a rational society.
In this quote, Thomas Jefferson emphasizes that the value of life is derived not just from experiences, but particularly from the gratifications that come from living in a rational and civilized society. He believes that such a society enriches our intellect, enhances our moods, and contributes positively to our overall well-being, suggesting that the collective benefits of rational interaction are among the most significant aspects of a fulfilling life.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of community values during a keynote speech.
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.
God's grace and forgiveness, while free to the recipient, are always costly for the giver.
Remember, it is not your weakness that will get in the way of God's working through you, but your delusions of strength. His strength is made perfect in our weakness! Point to His strength by being willing to admit your weakness.
To those who does not know the world is on fire, I have nothing to say.
It is not Christianity, but priestcraft that has subjected woman as we find her.
The right of nature... is the liberty each man hath to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life.
Another school declares that all time has already transpired and that our life is only the crepuscular and no doubt falsified and mutilated memory or reflection of an irrecoverable process.
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