Great Throughts Treasury

"No people can be both ignorant and free." - Thomas Jefferson

"Of the various executive abilities, no one excited more anxious concern than that of placing the interests of our fellow-citizens in the hands of honest men, with understanding sufficient for their stations. No duty is at the same time more difficult to fulfil. The knowledge of character possessed by a single individual is of necessity limited. To seek out the best through the whole Union, we must resort to the information which from the best of men, acting disinterestedly and with the purest motives, is sometimes incorrect." - Thomas Jefferson

"Rise at a fixed and an early hour, and go to bed at a fixed and early hour also. Sitting up late at night is injurious to the health and not useful to the mind." - Thomas Jefferson

"The art of printing secures us against the retrogradation of reason and information." - Thomas Jefferson

"The catholic principle of republicanism is that every people may establish what form of government they please and change it as they please, the will of the nation being the only thing essential." - Thomas Jefferson

"The firmness with which the people have withstood the late 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." - Thomas Jefferson

"The flames kindled on the Fourth of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them." - Thomas Jefferson

"The fundamental principle of the government is that the will of the majority is to prevail." - Thomas Jefferson

"The law of self-preservation is higher than written law." - Thomas Jefferson

"The Legislative and Executive branches may sometimes err, but elections and dependence will bring them to rights." - Thomas Jefferson

"The liberty of speaking and writing guards our other liberties." - Thomas Jefferson

"The man who fears no truths has nothing to fear from lies." - Thomas Jefferson

"The precept is wise which directs us to try all things, and hold fast that which is good." - Thomas Jefferson

"The system of banking [is] a blot left in all our Constitutions, which, if not covered, will end in their destruction... I sincerely believe that banking institutions are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity... is but swindling futurity on a large scale." - Thomas Jefferson

"The true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best, that the States are independent as to everything within themselves, and united as to everything respecting foreign affairs. Let the General Government be reduced to foreign concerns only, and let our affairs be disentangled from those of all other nations, except as to commerce, which the merchants will manage the better, the more they are left free to manage for themselves, and our General Government may be reduced to a very simple organization, and a very inexpensive one; a few plain duties to be performed by a few servants." - Thomas Jefferson

"This formidable censor of the public functionaries [the press], by arraigning them at the tribunal of public opinion, produces reform peaceably, which must otherwise be done by revolution. It is also the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man and improving him as a rational, moral, and social being." - Thomas Jefferson

"Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust. Whether our Constitution has hit on the exact degree of control necessary, is yet under experiment." - Thomas Jefferson

"We took the liberty to make some enquiries concerning the ground of their pretensions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury, and observed that we considered all mankind as our friends who had done us no wrong, nor had given us any provocation. The Ambassador [of Tripoli] answered us that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise." - Thomas Jefferson

"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination." - Thomas Jefferson

"Wisdom I know is social. She seeks her fellows. But Beauty is jealous, and illy bears the presence of a rival." - Thomas Jefferson

"Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object [religion]. In the first place divest yourself of all bias in favor of novelty and singularity of opinion. Indulge them in any other subject rather than that of religion. It is too important, and the consequences of error may be too serious. On the other hand shake off all the fears and servile prejudices under which weak minds are servilely crouched. 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 the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

"God has left sin in the world in order that there may be forgiveness: not only the secret forgiveness by which He Himself cleanses our souls, but the manifest forgiveness by which we have mercy on one another and so give expression to the fact that He is living, by His mercy, in our own hearts." - Thomas Merton

"I am earth, earth. My heart's love bursts with hay and flowers. I am a lake of blue air in which my own appointed place, field and valley stand reflected" - Thomas Merton

"Prayer is the movement of trust, of gratitude, of adoration, or of sorrow, that places us before God, seeing both Him and ourselves in the light of His infinite truth, and moves us to ask Him for the mercy, the spiritual strength, the material help, that we all need. The man whose prayer is so pure that he never asks God for anything does not know who God is, and does not know who he is himself: for he does not know his own need of God. All true prayer somehow confesses our absolute dependence on the Lord of life and death. It is, therefore, a deep and vital contact with Him whom we know not only as Lord but as Father. It is when we pray truly that we really are. Our being is brought to a high perfection by this." - Thomas Merton

"The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another" - Thomas Merton

"Any reductionist program has to be based on an analysis of what is to be reduced. If the analysis leaves something out, the problem will be falsely posed… As I have said, doubts about the reductionist account of life go against the dominant scientific consensus, but that consensus faces problems of probability that I believe are not taken seriously enough, both with respect to the evolution of life forms through accidental mutation and natural selection and with respect to the formation from dead matter of physical systems capable of such evolution. The more we learn about the intricacy of the genetic code and its control of these chemical processes of life, the harder these problems seem." - Thomas Nagel

"Though I shall for convenience often speak of two standpoints, the subjective and the objective, and though the various places in which this opposition is found have much in common, the distinction between more subjective and more objective views is really a matter of degree, and it covers a wide spectrum." - Thomas Nagel

"But with respect to religion itself, without regard to names, and as directing itself from the universal family of mankind to the divine object of adoration, it is man bringing to his maker the fruits of his heart; and though these fruits may differ from each other like the fruits of the earth, the grateful tribute of everyone is accepted." - Thomas Paine

"For freemen like brothers agree; With one spirit endured, they one friendship pursued, And their temple was Liberty Tree." - Thomas Paine

"It was needless, after this, to say that all was vanity and vexation of spirit; for it is impossible to derive happiness from the company of those whom we deprive of happiness." - Thomas Paine

"We ought therefore to suspect that a great mass of information respecting the Bible, and the introduction of it into the world, has been suppressed by the united tyranny of Church and State, for the purpose of keeping people in ignorance, and which ought to be known." - Thomas Paine

"The skeptical writers are a set whose business it is to prick holes in the fabric of knowledge wherever it is weak and faulty; and when these places are properly repaired, the whole building becomes more firm and solid than it was before." - Thomas Reid

"I have frequently argued that “assimilation,” which has sinister connotations when used in conjunction with “Jews,” is not inherently evil. On the contrary, assimilation, as the law of life, is beneficial in its inevitability. However, there are two types of assimilation: active assimilation, which transforms the foreign into the indigenous, and passive assimilation, which transforms the indigenous into the foreign. While active assimilation, i.e. the taking “from” the outside and its digestion-and-adaptation to the assimilating body makes for growth and strength, passive assimilation, i.e. the slavish assimilation of the foreign and the compromising of the indigenous pave the road to the extinction of distinctiveness. " - Trude Weiss-Rosmarin

"If the young State of Israel is to survive and prosper it must become integrated into the Arab world and be accepted by its neighbors. The crucial challenge confronting Israel is how to conclude an alliance of peace with the Arab nations. We believe that with a complete reorientation, especially a muting of the insistent harping on the theme of “Israel is an outpost of Western civilization” the Arab nations would accept Israel on the basis of the kinship which unites Jews and Arabs." - Trude Weiss-Rosmarin

"Blessed are you Hashem, our God, King of the Universe Who forms light and creates darkness, Who makes peace and creates all. He Who illuminates the earth and those who dwell upon it, with compassion, and in goodness He renews every day, perpetually the work of Creation. How abundant are your works, Hashem, all of them with wisdom You made; full is the earth with Your possessions. You are the King Who was exalted in solitude from before creation, Who is praised, glorified, and upraised since days of old. God of eternity, with Your compassion that is abundant, be compassionate on us; Oh Master of our power, our rocklike stronghold; O shield of our salvation, Who is a stronghold for us. The blessed God, Who is great in knowledge, prepared and produced the rays of the sun; the Beneficent One that he fashioned provided honor for His name. Luminaries did he place all around His power. The leaders of his legions, holy ones who exalt the Almighty, constantly relate the honor of God and his sanctity. May you be blessed, and for the luminaries of light that You have made, may people glorify You forever. May You be blessed, our Rock, our King, and our Redeemer, creator of holy ones; may your name be praised forever, Our King, O fashioner of ministering angels; and Whose ministering angels all stand at the summit of the universe of the living God and King of the universe. They are all beloved; they are all flawless; they are all mighty; they are do with dread and reverence in holiness and purity, in song and hymn, and bless, praise, glorify, revere, sanctify, and declare the kingship of the Name of God, the King Who is great, Who is mighty and Who is awesome; holy is He. Then they all accept upon themselves the yoke of the sovereignty of heaven, from one another, and grant permission one to another, of Creation. As it is said: Give thanks to Him Who makes the great luminaries, for enduring forever is His kindness. A new light on Zion may You shine, and may we merit, all of us speedily, to benefit from its light. Blessed are You, Hashem Who fashions the luminaries. " - Union Prayer Book NULL

"The ideal religion is to establish the proper balance between mind and emotion." - Waldemar Argow, fully Wendelin Waldemar Wieland Argow

"How are we to adjudicate among rival ontologies? Certainly the answer is not provided by the semantical formula "To be is to be the value of a variable"; this formula serves rather, conversely, in testing the conformity of a given remark or doctrine to a prior ontological standard." - Willard Quine, fully Willard Van Orman Quine

"If [the legislature] will positively enact a thing to be done, the judges are not at liberty to reject it, for that were to set the judicial power above that of the legislature, which would be subversive of all government." - William Blackstone, fully Sir William Blackstone

"So great moreover is the regard of the law for private property, that it will not authorize the least violation of it; no, not even for the general good of the whole community" - William Blackstone, fully Sir William Blackstone

"The husband and wife are one, and that one is the husband." - William Blackstone, fully Sir William Blackstone

"Alterations of surnames have so intricated, or rather obscured, the truth of our pedigrees, that it will be no little hard labour to deduce them." - William Camden

"Poor England! Thou art a devoted deer, beset with every ill but that of fear. The nations hunt; all mock thee for a prey; they swarm around thee, and thou stand'st at bay." - William Cowper

"Anxiety is fear of one's self." -

"But then I am a lawyer, and my business is to make a fuss about trifles." - Wilkie Collins, fully William Wilkie Collins

"Only give a woman love, and there is nothing she will not venture, suffer, and do." - Wilkie Collins, fully William Wilkie Collins

"Sand - in respect of its printing off of people's footsteps - is one of the best detective officers I know of." - Wilkie Collins, fully William Wilkie Collins

"The man who has worked in the full fervor of composition yesterday is the same man who sits in severe and merciless judgment to-day on what he has himself produced." - Wilkie Collins, fully William Wilkie Collins

"The present time is the precious time. Live for the passing day: the passing day is all we can be sure of." - Wilkie Collins, fully William Wilkie Collins

"As soon as liberty is complete it dies in anarchy." - Will Durant, fully William James "Will" Durant

"A government treaty gave Cherokees their land as long as the grass grows and the water flows, but when they discovered oil, they took it back because there was nuthin' in the treaty about oil." - Will Rogers, fully William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers