Neither believe nor reject any thing because any other person, or description of persons have rejected or believed it. Your own reason is the only oracle given you by heaven.
Interpretation
Trust your own reasoning and judgment rather than simply following others' beliefs.
This quote by Thomas Jefferson emphasizes the importance of independent thinking. It urges individuals to make their own decisions based on personal reasoning rather than being swayed by the opinions or beliefs of others, highlighting the value of one's own judgment as the ultimate guide in life.
In practice
During a philosophy class discussion on critical thinking.
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.
People cannot hurt you without your permission.
For young women, I would say don't worry so much about your weight. Girls spend way too much time thinking about that, and there are better things. For young men, and women, too, what makes you different or weird-that's your strength. Everyone tries to look a cookie-cutter kind of way, and actually the people who look different are the ones who get picked up. I used to hate my nose. Now I don't. It's OK.
In dwelling, live close to the ground._x000D_ _x000D_ In thinking, keep to the simple._x000D_ _x000D_ In conflict, be fair and generous._x000D_ _x000D_ In governing, don't try to control._x000D_ _x000D_ In work, do what you enjoy._x000D_ _x000D_ In family life, be completely present.
in times like the present, men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity.
Hoping a situation will change keeps you at a distance from your true feelings-sadness, anger, fear. Each of these feelings is best appreciated up close. Feel them deeply, and they will cease to bother you. Hope they'll go away, and they'll bother you all day.
It's important to have people who are absolutely willing to say you're wrong or who have a totally different perspective than you do on everything. Fresh ideas are hard to come by, and good ones are even harder.
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