Thomas JeffersonA nation which expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, expects that which never was and never will be.
About This Quote
Thomas Jefferson used the phrase “a nation which expects to be ignorant and free” in a letter to Albert Gallatin, dated April 24, 1823. While he did not coin the phrase, he used it to express the idea that the only way for a nation to be truly free is to educate its people and keep them educated. The idea of literacy and education was so important to Jefferson that he wrote an entire book about it: Notes on Virginia (1817).
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- The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
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