Age Quote by Thomas Jefferson
“Some men look at Constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them, like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to the men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human, and suppose what they did to be beyond amendment. I knew that age well; I belonged to and labored with it. It deserved well of its country. It was very like the present, but without the experience of the present; and forty years of experience in Government is worth a century of book-reading; and this they would say themselves, were they to rise from the dead.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Letter to James Madison, 1802
He warns against treating constitutions as untouchable relics, urging practical updates based on experience.
In simple terms: Don’t treat laws as holy and unchangeable.
Key Takeaway
Update laws with lived experience.
Themes
politics
law
history
reform
tradition
Mood
reflective
critical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- legislative reform
- constitutional amendment
- public policy debates
- civic education
Key Concepts
constitutionalism
pragmatism
historical perspective
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies balance respect for tradition with necessary change?
- What mechanisms ensure reforms reflect current realities?
A Different Perspective
Changing foundational documents can be politically risky and may face resistance.
![“Here's what we're not taught [about the Declaration and Constitution]: Those words at the time they were written were blazingly, electrifyingly subversive. If you understand them truly now, they still are. You are not taught - and it is a disgrace that you aren't - that these men and women were…” quote by Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/34d/naomi-wolf-1344_declaration_here-s-what-we-re-not-taught-about-the-d_1777102.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)
