Consolation Quote by Thomas Jefferson
“I hope we shall prove how much happier for man the Quaker policy is, and that the life of the feeder is better than that of the fighter; and it is some consolation that the desolation by these maniacs of one part of the earth is the means of improving it in other parts. Let the latter be our office, and let us milk the cow, while the Russian holds her by the horns, and the Turk by the tail.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Letter to John Adams, 1805
Advocates for peaceful, productive pursuits over violent conflict, seeing chaos as a chance for improvement elsewhere.
In simple terms: Peaceful work is better than fighting; chaos can help other places improve.
Key Takeaway
Focus on constructive work, leave conflict to others.
Themes
peace
productivity
conflict
optimism
Mood
reflective
optimistic
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- agricultural work
- community building
- conflict resolution
- social reform
Key Concepts
political philosophy
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we turn chaos into constructive change?
- What responsibilities do we have toward distant suffering?
A Different Perspective
Peaceful effort may not address root causes of violence.
![“I'm a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly. And Ben [Carson] you're a terrible surgeon.” quote by Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d7/ted-cruz-487_ben-carson_i-m-a-maniac-and-everyone-on-this-stage_259920.jpg)
![“Aside from doing publicity for this film [The Longest Yard], I have Auto Maniac coming on the History Channel and since I got married recently, we are going to get to that Honeymoon we had to put off.” quote by Bill Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e53/bill-goldberg-2919_film_aside-from-doing-publicity-for-this-film_147821.jpg)
![“[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)
