A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high virtues of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. – Thomas Jefferson
Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it. – Thomas Jefferson
Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. – Thomas Jefferson
War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses. – Thomas Jefferson
I remember being in Atlantic City once when I was 18 or 19, and a sea of people were screaming and pulling their hair because I was there. It was weird. Nobody deserves adulation like that. I tried to explain it to my kids once. I said, Mommy used to be kind of cool, kind of like a Britney Spears. – Genie Francis