Answers Quote by Thomas Jefferson
![“The provisions we have made [for our government] are such as please ourselves; they answer the substantial purposes of government and of justice, and other purposes than these should not be answered.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/27d/thomas-jefferson-43_answers_the-provisions-we-have-made-for-our-gove_1082584.jpg)
“The provisions we have made [for our government] are such as please ourselves; they answer the substantial purposes of government and of justice, and other purposes than these should not be answered.”
About This Quote
Source Historical Document: The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, 1786
Jefferson claims government should serve its own defined purposes, not external demands.
In simple terms: Government should focus on its own goals, not others'.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize core governmental functions over external pressures.
Themes
government
justice
purpose
policy
law
null
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- legislative drafting
- policy review
- judicial decisions
- public debates
Key Concepts
political philosophy
public administration
legal theory
Questions to Reflect On
- Are government purposes truly self‑contained?
- What happens when external needs clash with internal goals?
A Different Perspective
It may ignore minority needs and broader societal impacts.
![“[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)
