"We shall have our follies without doubt. Some one or more of them will
always be afloat. But ours will be the follies of enthusiasm,
not of bigotry, not of Jesuitism. Bigotry is the disease of ignorance,
of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. Education and free
discussion are the antidotes of both."
by:
Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President
Source:
letter to John Adams, August 1, 1816
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Reader comments about this quote:
Five stars for accuracy and the glass being half full. Thumbs down for the majority's follies, rejecting the enthusiasm of the free and boyant.
 -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    TJ would be so saddened by where the GOP and radical right are attempting to take this country... no, not so much saddened, as enraged into action! Impeach!
     -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US     
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    Anyone know Rush Limbaugh's Email?
     -- Leo Livingston, Daytona Beach     
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     -- dragonswizardz      
     -- Robert Edwards      
     -- E Archer, NYC      
    Thomas Jefferson was what we would call a libertarian. He was a good visionary but poor president. He would be considered to be so far right of the current day GOP that he would think of them as leftists. Amazing how many idiots are named Anonymous
     -- warren, olathe     
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    Actually, I think most of our early presidents were pretty far off to the right.
     -- Anonymous     
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    Here, here, Tom!
     -- Anonymous     
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     -- Robert, St. Emelion      
    warren,olathe, I love the last line of your comments.
     -- jim k, austin tx     
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     -- David Cooper, Mannington, NJ      
    It is a mistake to judge the founders time using terms of left and right with today's political and social measuring stick Warren.
    The US politically has moved SO FAR to the extreme left (the Overton Window) that even a moderate would be portrayed as a right wing extremist.

     -- Mike, Pleasant Hill     
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    Amazing! The very people who berate modern leftist America admit that the early founders and presidents were "pretty far off to the right". Could that be the reason why that tiny collection of colonies prospered and grew into what was a giant until Woodrow Wilson and the new breed of "progressive" politicians took the reigns of leadership. One of the big things that Jefferson never imagined was the infestation of colleges and universities with socialist and communist faculties as happened, thereby nullifying education as an antidote to ignorance and patriotism.
     -- Vince Ziccardi, San Antonio, TX     
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    Well said, Vince TX !
     -- Ronw13, Yachats Or     
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    Right on, Vince!
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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