Country Quote by Thomas Jefferson
“If God is just, I tremble for my country.”
About This Quote
If divine justice exists, it implies that national misdeeds will eventually be judged, causing anxiety about the country's fate.
In simple terms: Divine fairness makes one worry about national wrongdoing.
Key Takeaway
Moral accountability of nations.
Themes
justice
divine
national identity
ethics
anxiety
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- Political protests
- International tribunals
- Public debates on war crimes
Key Concepts
collective responsibility
theodicy
Practical Applications
- Promote transparent governance
- Engage in civic education
Questions to Reflect On
- Does a nation bear moral guilt?
- How does belief in divine justice shape policy?
A Different Perspective
The quote assumes a theistic framework; secular perspectives may interpret accountability differently.
![“[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)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
