---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I candidly confess that I have ever…"
description: "\"I candidly confess that I have ever looked on Cuba as the most interesting addition which could ever be made to our system of States. The control which..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/thomas-jefferson-43_country_i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-look_1330866.jpg"
---

#  I candidly confess that I have ever looked on Cuba as the…

![“I candidly confess that I have ever looked on Cuba as the most interesting addition which could ever be made to our system of States. The control which, with Florida, this island would give us over the Gulf of Mexico, and the countries and isthmus bordering on it, as well as all those whose waters…” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/thomas-jefferson-43_country_i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-look_1330866.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/thomas-jefferson-43_country_i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-look_1330866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/thomas-jefferson-43_country_i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-look_1330866.jpg)

> “I candidly confess that I have ever looked on Cuba as the most interesting addition which could ever be made to our system of States. The control which, with Florida, this island would give us over the Gulf of Mexico, and the countries and isthmus bordering on it, as well as all those whose waters flow into it, would fill up the measure of our political well-being.”

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Jefferson sees Cuba’s strategic location as vital for national security and economic prosperity, emphasizing control over surrounding waters.

**In simple terms:** Cuba is strategically important for the U.S.

Key Takeaway

Consider geographic advantage in policy.

Themes

strategy geopolitics security economics expansionism

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

strategic historical

When to use this quote

- foreign policy planning
- naval strategy
- regional trade agreements

Key Concepts

maritime control regional influence trade routes

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the risks of territorial expansion?
- How to balance security with sovereignty?

A Different Perspective

Strategic value can be overstated without considering local impacts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuba/) [Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/florida/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Gulf of mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulf-of-mexico/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexico/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-being/)

## Related quotes

> [First of all, it's important to note that the federal government doesn't have the authority to take anybody off of any voter rolls. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kobach/first-of-all-it-s-important-to-note-that-the-federal-government-doesn/)

[Kris Kobach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kobach/)

> [The President, and government, will only control the militia when a part of them is in the actual service of the federal government, else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-president-and-government-will-only-control-the-militia-when-a/)

[Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/)

> [I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-can-be-president-of-the-united-states-or-i-can-control-alice-i/)

[Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/)

> [The states do have more control over education, and they have the responsibility for funding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cardona/the-states-do-have-more-control-over-education-and-they-have-the/)

[Miguel Cardona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cardona/)

> [The relations which exist between man and his Maker, and the duties resulting from those relations, are the most interesting and important to every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-relations-which-exist-between-man-and-his-maker-and-the-duties/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is a river in the ocean. In the severest droughts it never fails, and in the mightiest floods it never overflows. Its banks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fontaine-maury/there-is-a-river-in-the-ocean-in-the-severest-droughts-it-never-fails/)

[Matthew Fontaine Maury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fontaine-maury/)

> [If I sit down to write a joke about, whatever, the polluted Gulf of Mexico, it comes out mundane to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/if-i-sit-down-to-write-a-joke-about-whatever-the-polluted-gulf-of/)

[Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/)

> [The Mississippi River carries the mud of thirty states and two provinces 2,000 miles south to the delta and deposits 500 million tons of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/the-mississippi-river-carries-the-mud-of-thirty-states-and-two/)

[Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/)

> [My parents moved to Florida when I was 12, and my backyard was the Gulf of Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-parents-moved-to-florida-when-i-was-12-and-my-backyard-was-the/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [Far away in Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped northwestern corner- the Crown of the Continent. The water from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bird-grinnell/far-away-in-montana-hidden-from-view-by-clustering-mountain-peaks/)

George Bird Grinnell

> [Have you been following the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Or as we call it now, the Dead Sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/have-you-been-following-the-big-oil-spill-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-or-as/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [The feminist movement has not made it to the Gulf of Mexico. Never seen that movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wilson/the-feminist-movement-has-not-made-it-to-the-gulf-of-mexico-never/)

[Diane Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wilson/)

> [What I try to communicate is that there's a lot of crossover between that feeling of romantic heartbreak and this devastating feeling of knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirah/what-i-try-to-communicate-is-that-there-s-a-lot-of-crossover-between/)

[Mirah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirah/)

> [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [The media tries to destroy Republicans who make little faux pas and they start telling everybody how dumb and stupid or uncaring they are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-media-tries-to-destroy-republicans-who-make-little-faux-pas-and/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

## More by Thomas Jefferson

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Perceiving the order of nature to be that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue, I am willing to hope it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/perceiving-the-order-of-nature-to-be-that-individual-happiness-shall/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one-step-what-will-be-the-next/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The two principles on which our conduct towards the Indians should be founded are justice and fear. After the injuries we have done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-two-principles-on-which-our-conduct-towards-the-indians-should-be/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-the-people-are-afraid-of-the-government-that-s-tyranny-but-when/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## More Country quotes

> [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/)

[Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/)

[Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/)

[Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/)

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/)

[Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/)

[Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/)

> [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/)

[Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/)

[Browse all 29,881 Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I candidly confess that I have ever looked on Cuba as the most interesting addition which could ever be made to our system of States. The control which, with Florida, this island would give us over the Gulf of Mexico, and the countries and isthmus bordering on it, as well as all those whose waters flow into it, would fill up the measure of our political well-being.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-looked-on-cuba-as-the-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Country"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-looked-on-cuba-as-the-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/thomas-jefferson-43_country_i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-look_1330866.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/thomas-jefferson-43_country_i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-look_1330866.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/thomas-jefferson-43_country_i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-look_1330866.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I candidly confess that I have ever looked on Cuba as the most interesting addition which could ever be made…” — Thomas Jefferson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Thomas Jefferson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I candidly confess that I have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-looked-on-cuba-as-the-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-candidly-confess-that-i-have-ever-looked-on-cuba-as-the-most/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
