Skip to content

Body Quote by Thomas Jefferson

“When the representative body have lost the confidence of their constituents, when they have notoriously made sale of their most valuable rights, when they have assumed to themselves powers which the people never put into their hands, then indeed their continuing in office becomes dangerous to the…” quote by Thomas Jefferson
Download Open image
“When the representative body have lost the confidence of their constituents, when they have notoriously made sale of their most valuable rights, when they have assumed to themselves powers which the people never put into their hands, then indeed their continuing in office becomes dangerous to the state”

Thomas Jefferson

About This Quote

Source Speech: Address to the Virginia Convention, 1788

When leaders betray public trust and overreach, their continued rule endangers society.

In simple terms: Leaders who lose trust become dangerous.

Key Takeaway

Hold officials accountable and demand change.

Themes

politics trust power responsibility

Mood

critical concerned

Type

political historical

When to use this quote

  • government scandals
  • policy decisions
  • public protests

Key Concepts

civic duty democracy authoritarianism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can citizens effectively demand accountability?
  • What safeguards protect against power abuse?
A Different Perspective

Changing leadership can be complex and risky.

4.1 out of 5 (3 ratings)

More by Thomas Jefferson

Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes

More Body quotes

Browse all 20,815 Body quotes