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When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property.
Thomas Jefferson
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Public officials must recognize their role as servants to the public and not as individuals with private interests.

This quote by Thomas Jefferson emphasizes the responsibility that comes with positions of power and public trust. When individuals take on roles that affect the lives of others, they must put the needs and interests of the public above their own, understanding that their decisions impact the community at large. It serves as a reminder that leadership is not about personal gain, but about serving and being accountable to the people.

Themes

Public TrustResponsibilityLeadershipServiceAccountability

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about ethical leadership, I shared Jefferson's quote to illustrate the importance of serving the people.

More from Thomas Jefferson

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.
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I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
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β€ŽWe 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.
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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.
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A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
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Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
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