Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.
Thomas JeffersonCertainly, no power to prescribe any religious exercise, or to assume authority in religious discipline, has been delegated to the General Government.
Thomas JeffersonA judiciary independent of a king or executive alone, is a good thing; but independence of the will of the nation is a solecism, at least in a republican government.
Thomas JeffersonBelieving that the happiness of mankind is best promoted by the useful pursuits of peace, that on these alone a stable prosperity can be founded, that the evils of war are great in their endurance, and have a long reckoning for ages to come, I have used my best endeavors to keep our country uncommitted in the troubles which afflict Europe, and which assail us on every side.
Thomas Jefferson