Government has no Right to hurt a hair of the head of an Atheist, for his Opinions. Let him have a care of his Practices.

. . . Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind.

We may please ourselves with the prospect of free and popular governments. But there is great danger that those governments will not make us happy. God grant they may. But I fear that in every assembly, members will obtain an influence by noise, not sense. By meanness, not greatness. By ignorance, not learning. By contracted hearts, not large souls.

Make Things rather than Persons the subjects of conversations.

Mankind will in time discover that unbridled majorities are as tyrannical and cruel as unlimited despots.

Pray how does your asparagus perform?

The consequences arising from the continual accumulation of public debts in other countries ought to admonish us to prevent their growth in our own.