Good government Quote by Thomas Jefferson
“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.”
About This Quote
Source Letter to James Madison, 1795
A government should be minimal, allowing individuals freedom to pursue industry and self‑improvement without undue taxation.
In simple terms: Limited government fosters freedom.
Key Takeaway
Protect personal liberty through limited state power.
Themes
freedom
economics
government
Mood
political
analytical
Type
philosophical
historical
When to use this quote
- small business start‑ups
- tax policy debates
- community projects
Key Concepts
classical liberalism
property rights
self‑reliance
Questions to Reflect On
- How much government is necessary for social safety?
- What balance best protects both liberty and common good?
A Different Perspective
Excessive minimalism may neglect public welfare.
![“[States and the Federal government are] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch of the same government.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/401/thomas-jefferson-43_branches_states-and-the-federal-government-are-co_2619.jpg)
![“Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing [a people] to slavery.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/00c/thomas-jefferson-43_change_single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-t_5515.jpg)
![“Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear their leading you out of [any difficult situation] in the easiest manner possible...” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ebe/thomas-jefferson-43_difficult_though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one_9828.jpg)
![“And, inasmuch [as] most good things are produced by labour, it follows that all such things of right belong to those whose labour has produced them. But it has so happened in all ages of the world, that some have laboured, and others have, without labour, enjoyed a large proportion of the fruits…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d72/abraham-lincoln-88_age_and-inasmuch-as-most-good-things-are-pro_200902.jpg)
