---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No nation is drunken where wine is cheap…"
description: "\"No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage. It is, in truth..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/thomas-jefferson-43_whiskey_no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap_2575600.jpg"
---

#  No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober…

![“No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage. It is, in truth, the only antidote to the bane of whiskey.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/thomas-jefferson-43_whiskey_no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap_2575600.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/thomas-jefferson-43_whiskey_no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap_2575600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/thomas-jefferson-43_whiskey_no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap_2575600.jpg)

> “No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage. It is, in truth, the only antidote to the bane of whiskey.”

[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.

Cheap wine leads to widespread drunkenness, while expensive wine drives people to seek stronger spirits, making it a paradoxical antidote to whiskey’s harm.

**In simple terms:** Cheap wine causes drunkenness; costly wine pushes people to stronger drinks.

Key Takeaway

Beware the unintended consequences of price on consumption.

Themes

economics behavioral addiction

Mood

concerned analytical

Type

sociopolitical practical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- personal budgeting
- social gatherings

Key Concepts

Price elasticity substitution effect public health

Questions to Reflect On

- What policies could mitigate harmful drinking without raising prices?
- How do cultural norms affect these dynamics?

A Different Perspective

Price changes can shift consumption patterns unpredictably.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Drunken Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunken-wine-1732207/) [Nation Drunken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-drunken-1732206/) [Sober Dearness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sober-dearness-1732208/) [Whiskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whiskey/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) [Wine Cheap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine-cheap-1732209/)

## Related quotes

> [No nation is drunken where wine is cheap, and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap-and-none-sober-where-the/)

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

> [No nation is drunken where wine is cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap/)

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

> [No nation was ever drunk when wine was cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-nation-was-ever-drunk-when-wine-was-cheap/)

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

> [“Be always drunken. Nothing else matters: that is the only question. If you would not feel the horrible burden of Time weighing on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/be-always-drunken-nothing-else-matters-that-is-the-only-question-if-2/)

[Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/)

> [Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/stay-yourselves-and-wonder-cry-ye-out-and-cry-they-are-drunken-but/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [Drunken with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you will. But be drunken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/drunken-with-what-with-wine-with-poetry-or-with-virtue-as-you-will/)

[Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/)

> [Whiskey claims to itself alone the exclusive office of sot-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/whiskey-claims-to-itself-alone-the-exclusive-office-of-sot-making/)

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

> [I wish to see this beverage become common instead of the whiskey which kills sone-third of our citizens and ruins their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-wish-to-see-this-beverage-become-common-instead-of-the-whiskey/)

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

> [Champagne's funny stuff. I'm used to whiskey. Whiskey is a slap on the back, and champagne's a heavy mist before my eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stewart/champagne-s-funny-stuff-i-m-used-to-whiskey-whiskey-is-a-slap-on-the/)

[James Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stewart/)

> [I am ashamed. That's how it is with whiskey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coyote-waits-movie/i-am-ashamed-that-s-how-it-is-with-whiskey/)

[Coyote Waits - Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coyote-waits-movie/)

> [Awesome! I'd just bullied Jesus into doing a shot with me. Nobody would ever believe it, but I didn't care. We ordered the insanely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/awesome-i-d-just-bullied-jesus-into-doing-a-shot-with-me-nobody-would/)

[Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/)

> [“I couldn't take another thing. That if they wanted to die, couldn't they do it with someone else? These days, I was holding myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strong-hold-publishing/i-couldn-t-take-another-thing-that-if-they-wanted-to-die-couldn-t/)

[Strong Hold Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strong-hold-publishing/)

> [My father? A hard drinking man from the 70's. We actually have no pictures of my dad where he is not holding a beer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-a-hard-drinking-man-from-the-70-s-we-actually-have-no/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [My dad worked for different companies that made whiskey for a long time, so we were definitely whiskey drinkers. Growing up, my friends would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/my-dad-worked-for-different-companies-that-made-whiskey-for-a-long/)

[Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/)

> [She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/she-was-only-a-whiskey-maker-but-he-loved-her-still/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

## 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 Whiskey quotes

> [She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/she-was-only-a-whiskey-maker-but-he-loved-her-still/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [My dad worked for different companies that made whiskey for a long time, so we were definitely whiskey drinkers. Growing up, my friends would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/my-dad-worked-for-different-companies-that-made-whiskey-for-a-long/)

[Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/)

> [My father? A hard drinking man from the 70's. We actually have no pictures of my dad where he is not holding a beer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-a-hard-drinking-man-from-the-70-s-we-actually-have-no/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [“I couldn't take another thing. That if they wanted to die, couldn't they do it with someone else? These days, I was holding myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strong-hold-publishing/i-couldn-t-take-another-thing-that-if-they-wanted-to-die-couldn-t/)

[Strong Hold Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strong-hold-publishing/)

> [Awesome! I'd just bullied Jesus into doing a shot with me. Nobody would ever believe it, but I didn't care. We ordered the insanely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/awesome-i-d-just-bullied-jesus-into-doing-a-shot-with-me-nobody-would/)

[Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/)

> [I am ashamed. That's how it is with whiskey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coyote-waits-movie/i-am-ashamed-that-s-how-it-is-with-whiskey/)

[Coyote Waits - Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coyote-waits-movie/)

> [Champagne's funny stuff. I'm used to whiskey. Whiskey is a slap on the back, and champagne's a heavy mist before my eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stewart/champagne-s-funny-stuff-i-m-used-to-whiskey-whiskey-is-a-slap-on-the/)

[James Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stewart/)

> [“Light brown hair—short on the sides, long and wavy on top—piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones, a wide, easy smile. Ugly wasn’t a word anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-reyne/light-brown-hair-short-on-the-sides-long-and-wavy-on-top-piercing/)

[Layla Reyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-reyne/)

> [A woman is like whiskey. She evaporates a little over time, distilled by disappointments and grief. One can never predict if the angels will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-wall/a-woman-is-like-whiskey-she-evaporates-a-little-over-time-distilled/)

[Paula Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-wall/)

> [Whisky is liquid sunshine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/whisky-is-liquid-sunshine/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [I like horses. My grandfather had a horse named Whiskey and I got to ride it all the time. They are terrifying and beautiful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-warren-jones/i-like-horses-my-grandfather-had-a-horse-named-whiskey-and-i-got-to/)

[Shane Warren Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-warren-jones/)

> [You see a guy with one leg, he's got a story. "Land mine '69." You see a guy with one arm, he's got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-attell/you-see-a-guy-with-one-leg-he-s-got-a-story-land-mine-69-you-see-a/)

[Dave Attell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-attell/)

> [Come, let me know what it is that makes a Scotch man happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/come-let-me-know-what-it-is-that-makes-a-scotch-man-happy/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [I'm not very geeky. I'm quite homespun. I would say I'm more modern rustic than gadget-orientated. I like woollen things and log fires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-m-not-very-geeky-i-m-quite-homespun-i-would-say-i-m-more-modern/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Brother, be a brother, fill this tiny cup of mine. And please, sir, make it whiskey: I have no head for wine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/brother-be-a-brother-fill-this-tiny-cup-of-mine-and-please-sir-make/)

[Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/)

[Browse all 420 Whiskey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whiskey/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage. It is, in truth, the only antidote to the bane of whiskey.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap-and-none-sober-where-the-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Whiskey"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap-and-none-sober-where-the-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/thomas-jefferson-43_whiskey_no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap_2575600.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/thomas-jefferson-43_whiskey_no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap_2575600.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/thomas-jefferson-43_whiskey_no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap_2575600.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent…” — 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": "No nation is drunken where wine...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap-and-none-sober-where-the-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-nation-is-drunken-where-wine-is-cheap-and-none-sober-where-the-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
