--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are, Jefferson said, two classes of…" description: "\"“There are, Jefferson said, two classes of “disputants” that are especially common. The “first is . . . young students . . . the other consists of the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/davidson-butler-110009_politics_there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of_170854.jpg" --- # There are, Jefferson said, two classes of “disputants”… ![“There are, Jefferson said, two classes of “disputants” that are especially common. The “first is . . . young students . . . the other consists of the ill-tempered & rude men in society, who have taken up a passion for politics.” From both, Jefferson urged, “keep aloof, as you would from the…” quote by Davidson Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/davidson-butler-110009_politics_there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of_170854.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/davidson-butler-110009_politics_there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of_170854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/davidson-butler-110009_politics_there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of_170854.jpg) > ““There are, Jefferson said, two classes of “disputants” that are especially common. The “first is . . . young students . . . the other consists of the ill-tempered & rude men in society, who have taken up a passion for politics.” From both, Jefferson urged, “keep aloof, as you would from the infected subjects of yellow fever or pestilence. Consider yourself, when with them, as among the patients of Bedlam, needing medical more than moral counsel.”” [Davidson Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davidson-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jefferson distinguishes two disruptive groups—young students and aggressive men—advising distance to avoid their contagion, likening them to disease carriers. **In simple terms:** Avoid toxic groups to protect oneself. Key Takeaway Maintain distance from harmful influences. Themes politics social behavior toxicity health metaphor historical advice Mood analytical historical Type Politics:1 Yellow fever:1 Jefferson Said:1 Jefferson Urged:1 Politics Jefferson:0 Disputants Especially:0 Urged Aloof:0 When to use this quote - public discourse - community involvement - education Key Concepts civic engagement personal safety critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can you engage constructively with dissent? - What safeguards protect against toxic influence? A Different Perspective Generalizing can overlook individual differences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disputants Especially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disputants-especially-1849193/) [Jefferson Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jefferson-said-896415/) [Jefferson Urged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jefferson-urged-1849191/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-jefferson-1849192/) [Urged Aloof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urged-aloof-1849194/) [Yellow fever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yellow-fever/) ## Related quotes > [I was reading a lot of Thomas Jefferson at the time, and Jefferson said that every 20 years, if one party has stayed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-was-reading-a-lot-of-thomas-jefferson-at-the-time-and-jefferson/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [“As Thomas Jefferson said, “Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-ulen-curtis/as-thomas-jefferson-said-our-greatest-happiness-does-not-depend-on/) [Laurel Ulen Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-ulen-curtis/) > [I think Thomas Jefferson would have said the more speech, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/i-think-thomas-jefferson-would-have-said-the-more-speech-the-better/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Thomas Jefferson said, The tree of liberty must be fertilized from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Yeah and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/thomas-jefferson-said-the-tree-of-liberty-must-be-fertilized-from/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [“The political nature of man made it highly unlikely that a society designed to meet regularly would remain peaceable. "The way to make friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/the-political-nature-of-man-made-it-highly-unlikely-that-a-society/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Thomas Jefferson once said, "Women shouldn't wrinkle their pretty little foreheads with politics." Now does that mean he was a sexist, or was he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-freedman/thomas-jefferson-once-said-women-shouldn-t-wrinkle-their-pretty/) [Russell Freedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-freedman/) > [Thomas Jefferson once said. He said , "We should never judge a President by his age, only by his works." And ever since he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/thomas-jefferson-once-said-he-said-we-should-never-judge-a-president/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/thomas-jefferson-once-said-we-should-never-judge-a-president-by-his/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I believe that Thomas Jefferson said: 'If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket, what difference is it to me?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-believe-that-thomas-jefferson-said-if-it-neither-breaks-my-leg-nor/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [It was Thomas Jefferson who said that we should not allow the courts to have a monopoly on the interpretation of what is constitutional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/it-was-thomas-jefferson-who-said-that-we-should-not-allow-the-courts/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [Thomas Jefferson once said: 'Of course the people don't want war. But the people can be brought to the bidding of their leader. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/thomas-jefferson-once-said-of-course-the-people-don-t-want-war-but/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I want to make a toast to all at this press event who agree with Thomas Jefferson, who said that our liberty depends on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/i-want-to-make-a-toast-to-all-at-this-press-event-who-agree-with/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [America, to me, is this enormous contrast between the heady idealism of founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson, who said, 'All men are created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/america-to-me-is-this-enormous-contrast-between-the-heady-idealism-of/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [“Death was a constant fact of life. The reaper struck with fire and drowning; typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and a host of other diseases;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-weisberg/death-was-a-constant-fact-of-life-the-reaper-struck-with-fire-and/) [Barbara Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-weisberg/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) [Molly Caldwell Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-caldwell-crosby/) ## More by Davidson Butler > [“We are men, all subject to errors. Our opinions are not in our power. They are formed and governed much by circumstances that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davidson-butler/we-are-men-all-subject-to-errors-our-opinions-are-not-in-our-power/) [Davidson Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davidson-butler/) [Explore all 2 Davidson Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davidson-butler/) ## More Politics quotes > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“Only careful political manoeuvring will be able to manage the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davan-yahya-khalil/only-careful-political-manoeuvring-will-be-able-to-manage-the/) [Davan Yahya Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davan-yahya-khalil/) > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [“Jim Reston: Walking through the crowds of air-kissing politicians, actors and high fliers, it was tough to tell where the politics stopped and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/jim-reston-walking-through-the-crowds-of-air-kissing-politicians/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [A man who kills on his own is a murderer. A man who kills at his government's request is a national hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramman-kenoun/a-man-who-kills-on-his-own-is-a-murderer-a-man-who-kills-at-his/) [Ramman Kenoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramman-kenoun/) > [Politics in Philadelphia is a contact sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/politics-in-philadelphia-is-a-contact-sport/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) [Browse all 44,914 Politics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There are, Jefferson said, two classes of “disputants” that are especially common. The “first is . . . young students . . . the other consists of the ill-tempered & rude men in society, who have taken up a passion for politics.” From both, Jefferson urged, “keep aloof, as you would from the infected subjects of yellow fever or pestilence. Consider yourself, when with them, as among the patients of Bedlam, needing medical more than moral counsel.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Davidson Butler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davidson-butler/there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of-disputants-that-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Politics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davidson-butler/there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of-disputants-that-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/davidson-butler-110009_politics_there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of_170854.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/davidson-butler-110009_politics_there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of_170854.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/davidson-butler-110009_politics_there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of_170854.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are, Jefferson said, two classes of “disputants” that are especially common. The “first is . . . young…” — Davidson Butler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Davidson Butler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davidson-butler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There are, Jefferson said, two classes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davidson-butler/there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of-disputants-that-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davidson-butler/there-are-jefferson-said-two-classes-of-disputants-that-are/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```