---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let the eye of vigilance never be closed."
description: "\"Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.\" — Thomas Jefferson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01f/thomas-jefferson-43_closed_let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed_804016.jpg"
---

#  Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.

![“Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01f/thomas-jefferson-43_closed_let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed_804016.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01f/thomas-jefferson-43_closed_let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed_804016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01f/thomas-jefferson-43_closed_let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed_804016.jpg)

> “Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.”

[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.

Constant vigilance is essential; never let guard down, as complacency invites danger.

**In simple terms:** Stay alert; never stop watching.

Key Takeaway

Maintain perpetual awareness.

Themes

security politics ethics

Mood

cautious serious

Type

historical philosophical

When to use this quote

- government oversight
- personal safety
- risk assessment

Key Concepts

vigilance preventive action civic duty

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards can balance vigilance with peace of mind?
- How do you differentiate necessary alertness from paranoia?

A Different Perspective

Vigilance can cause anxiety if unchecked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Closed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closed/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eye Vigilance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye-vigilance-6149703/) [Vigilance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vigilance/) [Vigilance Closed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vigilance-closed-6149704/)

## Related quotes

> [Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/very-many-and-very-meritorious-were-the-worthy-patriots-who-assisted/)

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

> [The price if freedom us eternal vigilance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-price-if-freedom-us-eternal-vigilance/)

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

> [The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-cost-of-freedom-is-eternal-vigilance/)

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

> [Eternal Vigilance is the price of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/eternal-vigilance-is-the-price-of-democracy/)

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

> [The price of barbecue is eternal vigilance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-price-of-barbecue-is-eternal-vigilance/)

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

> [To every description of citizens, let praise be given. but let them persevere in their affectionate vigilance over that precious depository of American happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/to-every-description-of-citizens-let-praise-be-given-but-let-them/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Most of us who got into film industry in early 2000s weren't prepared for the constant vigilance that being a celebrity requires, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/most-of-us-who-got-into-film-industry-in-early-2000s-weren-t-prepared/)

[Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/)

> [As long as we live in a system of states, and as long as the roots of fascism and imperialist aggression have not finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vyacheslav-molotov/as-long-as-we-live-in-a-system-of-states-and-as-long-as-the-roots-of/)

[Vyacheslav Molotov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vyacheslav-molotov/)

> [The price of peace is eternal vigilance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/the-price-of-peace-is-eternal-vigilance/)

[George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/)

> [The whole idea of a democracy is that we ourselves, the people, are supposed to make a path of our politics, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/the-whole-idea-of-a-democracy-is-that-we-ourselves-the-people-are/)

[Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/)

> [Those who consider the inessential to be essential And see the essential as inessential Don't reach the essential, Living in the field of wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-consider-the-inessential-to-be-essential-and-see-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Conservatism is an active intellectual pursuit; it requires a constant vigilance. It has nothing to do with feelings. Liberalism is the most gutless choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/conservatism-is-an-active-intellectual-pursuit-it-requires-a-constant/)

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

> [Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/eternal-vigilance-is-the-price-of-liberty-power-is-ever-stealing-from/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Fraud will always exist. Enforcement of anti-fraud laws is a useful deterrent, but in the end there's no substitute for investor vigilance. Government regulations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/fraud-will-always-exist-enforcement-of-anti-fraud-laws-is-a-useful/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

## 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 Closed quotes

> [Nothing attracts me like a closed door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/nothing-attracts-me-like-a-closed-door/)

[Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/)

> [I was a big Nancy Drew reader. Nancy figures it out. Case closed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-was-a-big-nancy-drew-reader-nancy-figures-it-out-case-closed/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/)

[Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/)

> [I'm tired of seeing listings of programs I want to watch that aren't closed captioned. And I'm tired of looking for the symbol on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-m-tired-of-seeing-listings-of-programs-i-want-to-watch-that-aren-t/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [“I hope you are not here to ask me to do my bawdy business- the monkey has a nosebleed and the circus, sir, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-hope-you-are-not-here-to-ask-me-to-do-my-bawdy-business-the-monkey/)

[Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/)

> [“I remembered what Dad said once, that some people have all of life's answers worked out the day they're born and there's no use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-remembered-what-dad-said-once-that-some-people-have-all-of-life-s/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [Bridge the gap with closed minds though careful dissection of ideas and solid presentation of fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillian-degenerez/bridge-the-gap-with-closed-minds-though-careful-dissection-of-ideas/)

[Maximillian Degenerez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillian-degenerez/)

> [You were the oníly one I saw when I closed my eyes..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/you-were-the-on-ly-one-i-saw-when-i-closed-my-eyes/)

[Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/)

> [“Bedtime stories Eventide Rhapsodies Anthologies of Memory Please enter cautiously and feel free to open what is closed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/bedtime-stories-eventide-rhapsodies-anthologies-of-memory-please/)

[Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/)

> [I didn't go to school, because I never stayed anywhere long enough, so I was completely closed off from the outside world. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neon-hitch/i-didn-t-go-to-school-because-i-never-stayed-anywhere-long-enough-so/)

[Neon Hitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neon-hitch/)

> [I developed the habit of writing novels behind a closed door, or at my uncle's, on the dining table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-white/i-developed-the-habit-of-writing-novels-behind-a-closed-door-or-at-my/)

[Patrick White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-white/)

> [My life closed twice before its close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/my-life-closed-twice-before-its-close/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-bark-my-voice-out-through-a-closed-throat-pretty-much-it-s-more/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [Because you're fat, you feel that everybody's watching every bite you take. So, you closet-eat, and you think because nobody sees you eating, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-roker/because-you-re-fat-you-feel-that-everybody-s-watching-every-bite-you/)

[Al Roker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-roker/)

> [Others like City Hall the old way, when they could make deals behind closed doors with your tax money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/others-like-city-hall-the-old-way-when-they-could-make-deals-behind/)

[Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/)

[Browse all 326 Closed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Closed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01f/thomas-jefferson-43_closed_let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed_804016.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01f/thomas-jefferson-43_closed_let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed_804016.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01f/thomas-jefferson-43_closed_let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed_804016.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.” — 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": "Let the eye of vigilance never...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/let-the-eye-of-vigilance-never-be-closed/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
