--- title: "4 Jefferson Quotes By David McCullough" description: "4 Jefferson quotes by David McCullough. Plus more from David McCullough and more Jefferson sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/david-mccullough-1091_jefferson_by-reaching-for-the-stars-jefferson-gave_772438.png" --- > [“By reaching for the stars, Jefferson gave us all the impulse. He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/by-reaching-for-the-stars-jefferson-gave-us-all-the-impulse-he/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/david-mccullough-1091_jefferson_by-reaching-for-the-stars-jefferson-gave_772438.png) > [ According to Adams, Jefferson proposed that he, Adams, do the writing \[pf the Declaration of Independence\], but that he declined, telling Jefferson… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/according-to-adams-jefferson-proposed-that-he-adams-do-the-writing-pf/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/david-mccullough-1091_declaration_according-to-adams-jefferson-proposed-th_1305261.png) > [“What was surprising--and would largely be forgotten as time went on--was how well Adams had done. Despite the malicious attacks on him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/what-was-surprising-and-would-largely-be-forgotten-as-time-went-on/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/david-mccullough-1091_jefferson_what-was-surprising-and-would-largely-be_2247651.jpg) > [“But let us not forget, too, that it was John Adams who nominated George Washington to be commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/but-let-us-not-forget-too-that-it-was-john-adams-who-nominated-george/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/david-mccullough-1091_freedom_but-let-us-not-forget-too-that-it-was-jo_2971798.jpg) ## Other authors on Jefferson ## More by David McCullough > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Steamboats by this time were becoming a familiar presence on the rivers and coastal waters of America, but not until 1838 did steam-powered ships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/steamboats-by-this-time-were-becoming-a-familiar-presence-on-the/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [I feel that history is in many ways the most important of all subjects because it is about everything and because it's about who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-feel-that-history-is-in-many-ways-the-most-important-of-all/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. If we look into history, we shall find some nations rising from contemptible beginnings and spreading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/even-mighty-states-and-kingdoms-are-not-exempted-if-we-look-into/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [History isn't just what happened, but what happened to whom and why and what would have been different if the cast of characters had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/history-isn-t-just-what-happened-but-what-happened-to-whom-and-why/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Nobody ever lived in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/nobody-ever-lived-in-the-past/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Only TR openly declared his love for the job. “Nobody ever enjoyed the presidency as I did,” he boasted, and by all evidence that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/only-tr-openly-declared-his-love-for-the-job-nobody-ever-enjoyed-the/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“s ships Phoenix and Rose, in the company of three tenders, cast off their moorings at Staten Island and started up the harbor under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/s-ships-phoenix-and-rose-in-the-company-of-three-tenders-cast-off/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“a people may let a King fall, yet still remain a people, but if a King let his people slip from him, he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/a-people-may-let-a-king-fall-yet-still-remain-a-people-but-if-a-king/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Why limit yourself to the experience of your own relatively brief time on earth, according to your biological clock, when the whole realm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/why-limit-yourself-to-the-experience-of-your-own-relatively-brief/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“He worked at a plain, tall desk at which he wrote standing up or perched on a high stool,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/he-worked-at-a-plain-tall-desk-at-which-he-wrote-standing-up-or/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Nothing happens in isolation. Everything that happens has consequences. We”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/nothing-happens-in-isolation-everything-that-happens-has-consequences/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [America faces an enemy who believes in enforced ignorance. And all that we stand for is the open mind, the generous spirit, the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/america-faces-an-enemy-who-believes-in-enforced-ignorance-and-all/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/my-shorthand-answer-is-that-i-try-to-write-the-kind-of-book-that-i/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Seen under the microscope, Stegomyia is a creature of striking beauty. Its general color is dark gray, but the thorax is marked with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/seen-under-the-microscope-stegomyia-is-a-creature-of-striking-beauty/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jefferson/david-mccullough/#itemlist", "name": "4 Jefferson Quotes By David McCullough", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“By reaching for the stars, Jefferson gave us all the impulse. 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Reason third: You can write ten times better than I can.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David McCullough" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/according-to-adams-jefferson-proposed-that-he-adams-do-the-writing-pf/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/david-mccullough-1091_declaration_according-to-adams-jefferson-proposed-th_1305261.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/david-mccullough-1091_declaration_according-to-adams-jefferson-proposed-th_1305261.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/david-mccullough-1091_declaration_according-to-adams-jefferson-proposed-th_1305261.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“According to Adams, Jefferson proposed that he, Adams, do the writing [pf the Declaration of Independence]…” — David McCullough", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What was surprising--and would largely be forgotten as time went on--was how well Adams had done. Despite the malicious attacks on him, the furor over the Alien and Sedition Acts, unpopular taxes, betrayals by his own cabinet, the disarray of the Federalists, and the final treachery of Hamilton, he had, in fact, come very close to winning in the electoral count. With a difference of only 250 votes in New York City, Adams would have won an electoral count of 71 to 61. 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