Mr. Sedivy's
History Classes:

More Features:

- Famous Quotes from American History -
Quotes from America in the 1700s

Thomas Jefferson 1743 - 1826

Rough draft of the American Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable: that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

1781 - 1785 - Notes on the State of Virginia
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."

January 30, 1787
"A little rebellion now and then is a good thing."

November 13, 1787
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."

March 4, 1801 - First Inaugural Address
"Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliances with none."

July 12, 1801
"If a due participation of office is a matter of right, how are vacancies to be obtained? Those by death are few; by resignation none."
(Usually quoted as: Few die and none resign.)

September 4, 1823 - Letter to John Adams
"To attain all this (universal republicanism), however, rivers of blood must yet flow, and years of desolation pass over; yet the object is worth rivers of blood, and years of desolation."

April 22, 1820 - On slavery in a letter to John Holmes
"We have the wolf by the ears; and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other."

Back to top of page

- Famous Quotes Throughout World History -

| Index of Quotes by Speaker / Historical Period |
| The Great Quotes of Ancient Greece |
| Profound Quotes of Ancient Rome - BC |
| Quotes from the Roman Empire - AD |
| Famous Quotes from the Dark and Middle Ages |
| Relevant Quotes from the Reformation and Renaissance |
| Quotes from England: 15th, 16th and 17th Centuries |
| Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution Quotes | Voltaire |
| Quotes from the French Revolution and Napoleon Era |
| Modern European History Quotes from the 1800s |
| Quotes from Europe and Asia - 1900s | Winston Churchill |

Famous Quotes from American History
| Benjamin Franklin | Quotes from America in the 1700s |
| Thomas Jefferson | United States Quotes from the 1800s |
| Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War | Mark Twain |
| American Quotes from the Early 1900s and World War I |
| US 20th-Century and World War II Quotes |
| Famous American Pop Culture Quotes |