We must use a good deal of economy in our wood, never cutting down new, where we can make the old do.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of resourcefulness and sustainability in using available materials.
Thomas Jefferson advocates for a mindful and sustainable approach to resource management in this quote. He suggests that rather than recklessly depleting new resources, one should find ways to repurpose and utilize what is already available, promoting a philosophy of conservation and efficiency that can be applied to various aspects of life.
In practice
In a discussion about environmental impact, one could use this quote to emphasize the need for sustainable practices.
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.
True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of so fine a virtue.
If you are selective about the things you choose to read, look at or listen to, then you are taking effective action against negative thinking. It's just like with a computer; if you change the input, you will change the output.
I had a very brilliant father who was not only intellectual, but was street-smart and very curious to boot. The day I found out that he didn't know everything, I grew up. It was a shock. I just thought that the man was the end-all of everything, and he knew the answer to everything. Then I found out I'd have to find out my own answers.
The most deadly disease truly is the failure of the heart.
Being sorry won't get you into heaven. Get happy, son. Get that old spring into your step and stay on your toes.
The devil ain't got no power over me. The devil come, and me shake hands with the devil. Devil have his part to play. Devil's a good friend, too... because when you don't know him, that's the time he can mosh you down.
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