Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.
Interpretation
This quote questions the trustworthiness of humans in positions of power, both over themselves and others.
Thomas Jefferson raises a critical inquiry about human governance and authority in this quote. He challenges the notion of whether individuals can govern themselves, and if so, whether any are fit to govern others. By inviting history to provide answers, Jefferson emphasizes the wisdom gained from past experiences, suggesting that perhaps no human, no matter how noble or kingly, is inherently trustworthy in leadership roles.
In practice
During a political debate, one might use this quote to advocate for checks and balances in government.
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.
Beware of thinkers whose minds function only when they are fueled by a quotation.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. -Sonnet 73
I many no longer depend on pleasant impulses to bring me before the Lord. I must rather response to principles I know to be right, whether I feel them to be enjoyable or not.
It is not Christianity, but priestcraft that has subjected woman as we find her.
It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are.
How so many absurd rules of conduct, as well as so many absurd religious beliefs, have originated, we do not know; nor how it is that they have become, in all quarters of the world, so deeply impressed on the minds of men; but it is worthy of remark that a belief constantly inculcated during the early years of life, while the brain is impressionable, appears to acquire almost the nature of an instinct; and the very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason.
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