Believe Quote by Thomas Jefferson
“Are we to have a censor whose imprimatur shall say what books may be sold, and what we may buy? And who is thus to dogmatize religious opinions for our citizens? Whose foot is to be the measure to which ours are all to be cut or stretched? Is a priest to be our inquisitor, or shall a layman, simple as ourselves, set up his reason as the rule of what we are to read, and what we must believe?”
About This Quote
Source Letter: Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1800
Question the authority of censorship and religious control over reading material, advocating personal reason.
In simple terms: Challenge censorship and religious control over books.
Key Takeaway
Promote free inquiry and personal judgment.
Themes
freedom
religion
censorship
rights
Mood
thoughtful
philosophical
Type
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- public libraries
- educational curricula
- online publishing
- political discourse
Key Concepts
authority
individual liberty
Questions to Reflect On
- What limits should be placed on harmful content?
- How does personal reason interact with community standards?
A Different Perspective
Balancing societal values with unrestricted access is complex.
![“[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)
