--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Thomas Jefferson sat on the steps of…" description: "\"“When Thomas Jefferson sat on the steps of the White House and, with a pair of scissors, began to cut out all portions of the Bible that he felt were m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/ken-wilber-1886_jefferson_when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-o_811845.jpg" --- # When Thomas Jefferson sat on the steps of the White House… ![“When Thomas Jefferson sat on the steps of the White House and, with a pair of scissors, began to cut out all portions of the Bible that he felt were mythic nonsense, he was expressing a rational point of view.” quote by Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/ken-wilber-1886_jefferson_when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-o_811845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/ken-wilber-1886_jefferson_when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-o_811845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/ken-wilber-1886_jefferson_when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-o_811845.jpg) > ““When Thomas Jefferson sat on the steps of the White House and, with a pair of scissors, began to cut out all portions of the Bible that he felt were mythic nonsense, he was expressing a rational point of view.”” [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A story illustrates a rational, critical approach to religious texts, suggesting that personal belief should be based on reason rather than tradition. **In simple terms:** Questioning religious texts rationally. Key Takeaway Apply critical thinking to beliefs. Themes critical thinking rationalism religion skepticism Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical controversial When to use this quote - personal belief - education - public discourse Key Concepts philosophy religious studies Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance reason and tradition? - What role should personal belief play in public life? A Different Perspective Rational critique may overlook cultural value of tradition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [I've read the Bible, but I felt like a lot of the Bible was oppressive towards women. Then I read the Quran, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-webb/i-ve-read-the-bible-but-i-felt-like-a-lot-of-the-bible-was-oppressive/) [Robert Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-webb/) > [Since the success of believers is tied to our knowledge of and obedience to God's Word, the memorizing of portions of the Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/since-the-success-of-believers-is-tied-to-our-knowledge-of-and/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [As Luke 24 shows, it's possible to read the Bible, study the Bible, and memorize large portions of the Bible, while missing the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/as-luke-24-shows-it-s-possible-to-read-the-bible-study-the-bible-and/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [Many who read their Bibles make the great mistake of confining all their reading to certain portions of the Bible which they enjoy. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-who-read-their-bibles-make-the-great-mistake-of-confining-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In three years of backbreaking studies that, according to Madison , "exacted perhaps the most severe of Jefferson's public labors," Jefferson had almost single-handedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-sterne-randall/in-three-years-of-backbreaking-studies-that-according-to-madison/) [Willard Sterne Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-sterne-randall/) > [“We make no saint of Thomas Jefferson—we leave the mindless business of canonization and the worship of humans to the fanatics—but aware as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/we-make-no-saint-of-thomas-jefferson-we-leave-the-mindless-business/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Thomas Jefferson is by far the smartest president,” said Thomas Jefferson, about Thomas Jefferson, and to Thomas Jefferson. Even though he was only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/thomas-jefferson-is-by-far-the-smartest-president-said-thomas/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“American” women (and a few men) complained that here, wealthy white men sometimes lived with mulatto women until it came time to marry a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-e-baptist/american-women-and-a-few-men-complained-that-here-wealthy-white-men/) [Edward E. Baptist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-e-baptist/) > [“A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable. Thomas Jefferson”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-grove/a-morsel-of-genuine-history-is-a-thing-so-rare-as-to-be-always/) Tim Grove > [I knew Thomas Jefferson. He was a friend of mine. And believe me, you are no Thomas Jefferson. (at 1992 Republican party convention, referring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-knew-thomas-jefferson-he-was-a-friend-of-mine-and-believe-me-you/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [So now it turns out that Thomas Jefferson was having sex with Sally Hemings while serving in the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/so-now-it-turns-out-that-thomas-jefferson-was-having-sex-with-sally/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“...The Presidential election has given me less anxiety than I myself could have imagined. The next administration will be a troublesome one, to whomsoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-presidential-election-has-given-me-less-anxiety-than-i-myself/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in this house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/probably-the-greatest-concentration-of-talent-and-genius-in-this/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Thomas Jefferson was a real poet. He was slick with that 'pursuit' of happiness because the 'pursuit' puts it back on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/thomas-jefferson-was-a-real-poet-he-was-slick-with-that-pursuit-of/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Ken Wilber > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Gaia's main problems are not industrialization, ozone depletion, overpopulation, or resource depletion. Gaia's main problem is the lack of mutual understanding and mutual agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/gaia-s-main-problems-are-not-industrialization-ozone-depletion/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [If Spirit has any meaning, it must be omnipresent, or all-pervading and all-encompassing. There can't be a place where Spirit is not, or it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/if-spirit-has-any-meaning-it-must-be-omnipresent-or-all-pervading-and/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Evolution occurs in the world of time and space and form, whereas Spirit's primordial nature is finally timeless and Formless, prior to the of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/evolution-occurs-in-the-world-of-time-and-space-and-form-whereas/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [The most striking feature of the perennial philosophy/psychology is that it presents being and consciousness as a hierarchy of dimensional levels, moving from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-most-striking-feature-of-the-perennial-philosophy-psychology-is/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Is this a topic whose time has truly come? The integration of science and religion? Or have I just written a clever book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/is-this-a-topic-whose-time-has-truly-come-the-integration-of-science/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [In other words, the real problem is not exterior. The real problem is interior. The real problem is how to get people to internally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/in-other-words-the-real-problem-is-not-exterior-the-real-problem-is/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Authentic spirituality... does not render the self content, it renders it undone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-does-not-render-the-self-content-it-renders-it/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [When it comes to spiritual teachers, there are those safe, gentle, consoling, soothing, caring; and there are the outlaws, the living terrors, the Rude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/when-it-comes-to-spiritual-teachers-there-are-those-safe-gentle/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Conscious means "having an awareness of one's inner and outer worlds; mentally perceptive, awake, mindful." So "conscious business" might mean, engaging in an occupation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/conscious-means-having-an-awareness-of-one-s-inner-and-outer-worlds/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [I believe that evidence shows that there is a real spirit, a real Beach, but it is beneath no pavement whatsoever, for all pavements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/i-believe-that-evidence-shows-that-there-is-a-real-spirit-a-real/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Furthermore, it is not that Spirit is present but you need to be enlightened in order to see it. It is not that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/furthermore-it-is-not-that-spirit-is-present-but-you-need-to-be/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Authentic spirituality is revolutionary. It does not legitimate the world, it breaks the world; it does not console the world, it shatters it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-is-revolutionary-it-does-not-legitimate-the/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [What's my philosophy? In a word, integral. And what on earth — or in heaven — do I mean by integral? The dictionary meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/what-s-my-philosophy-in-a-word-integral-and-what-on-earth-or-in/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Matter begins evolving back to Spirit and, when it's reached, the whole process begins over again for the billionth time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/matter-begins-evolving-back-to-spirit-and-when-it-s-reached-the-whole/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) [Explore all 200 Ken Wilber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) ## More Jefferson quotes > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Thomas Jefferson was a real poet. He was slick with that 'pursuit' of happiness because the 'pursuit' puts it back on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/thomas-jefferson-was-a-real-poet-he-was-slick-with-that-pursuit-of/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in this house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/probably-the-greatest-concentration-of-talent-and-genius-in-this/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [In seeking an empire of liberty, Jefferson wished not only to expand the country's territorial holdings, but also to extend American institutions around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/in-seeking-an-empire-of-liberty-jefferson-wished-not-only-to-expand/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [“...The Presidential election has given me less anxiety than I myself could have imagined. The next administration will be a troublesome one, to whomsoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-presidential-election-has-given-me-less-anxiety-than-i-myself/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [“The Jefferson is such a dignified hotel / There is no such thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/the-jefferson-is-such-a-dignified-hotel-there-is-no-such-thing/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [The English are no nearer than they were a hundred years ago to knowing what Jefferson really meant when he said that God had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-english-are-no-nearer-than-they-were-a-hundred-years-ago-to/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [So now it turns out that Thomas Jefferson was having sex with Sally Hemings while serving in the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/so-now-it-turns-out-that-thomas-jefferson-was-having-sex-with-sally/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [I knew Thomas Jefferson. He was a friend of mine. And believe me, you are no Thomas Jefferson. (at 1992 Republican party convention, referring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-knew-thomas-jefferson-he-was-a-friend-of-mine-and-believe-me-you/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable. Thomas Jefferson”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-grove/a-morsel-of-genuine-history-is-a-thing-so-rare-as-to-be-always/) Tim Grove > [ Every answer he \[President John Adams\] gives to his addressers unmasks more and more his principles and views. His language to the young men… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/every-answer-he-president-john-adams-gives-to-his-addressers-unmasks/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [Mr. Jefferson has reason to reflect upon himself. How he will get rid of his remorse in his retirement, I know not. He must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/mr-jefferson-has-reason-to-reflect-upon-himself-how-he-will-get-rid/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [I love the example of Jefferson because he's willing to murder his government and then he becomes a president and then his face is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-wilson/i-love-the-example-of-jefferson-because-he-s-willing-to-murder-his/) [Cody Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-wilson/) > [What I'm thinking about more and more these days is simply the importance of transparency, and Jefferson's saying that he'd rather have a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/what-i-m-thinking-about-more-and-more-these-days-is-simply-the/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [ \[John\] Adams was the best and most colorful stylist among the Founders. Although \[Tomas\] Jefferson is widely regarded as the smoothest writer, Adams is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-was-the-best-and-most-colorful-stylist-among-the-founders/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) Browse all 174 Jefferson quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When Thomas Jefferson sat on the steps of the White House and, with a pair of scissors, began to cut out all portions of the Bible that he felt were mythic nonsense, he was expressing a rational point of view.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Wilber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-of-the-white-house-and-with-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Jefferson" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-of-the-white-house-and-with-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/ken-wilber-1886_jefferson_when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-o_811845.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/ken-wilber-1886_jefferson_when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-o_811845.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/ken-wilber-1886_jefferson_when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-o_811845.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When Thomas Jefferson sat on the steps of the White House and, with a pair of scissors, began to cut out all…” — Ken Wilber", "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": "Ken Wilber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When Thomas Jefferson sat on the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-of-the-white-house-and-with-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/when-thomas-jefferson-sat-on-the-steps-of-the-white-house-and-with-a/#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 } } ] } ```