--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Questions of natural right are triable by…" description: "\"Questions of natural right are triable by their conformity with the moral sense and reason of man.\" — Thomas Jefferson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/thomas-jefferson-43_conformity_questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-b_1586599.jpg" --- # Questions of natural right are triable by their conformity… ![“Questions of natural right are triable by their conformity with the moral sense and reason of man.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/thomas-jefferson-43_conformity_questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-b_1586599.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/thomas-jefferson-43_conformity_questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-b_1586599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/thomas-jefferson-43_conformity_questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-b_1586599.jpg) > “Questions of natural right are triable by their conformity with the moral sense and reason of man.” [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. Natural rights are judged by human moral sense and reason, not abstract law. **In simple terms:** Rights align with moral sense and reason. Key Takeaway Base laws on common moral reasoning. Themes rights morality reason Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - lawmaking - civil rights debates - education curricula - human rights advocacy Key Concepts political theory ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can societies reconcile differing moral senses? - What role should reason play in law? A Different Perspective Moral sense varies across cultures, complicating universal standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Conformity Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-moral-3213771/) [Inalienable rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inalienable-rights/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-sense/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-right-292066/) [Natural rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-rights/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Right Triable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-triable-6003959/) [Triable Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triable-conformity-6003958/) ## Related quotes > [ The evidence of \[the\] natural right \[of expatriation\], like that of our right to life, liberty, the use of our faculties, the pursuit of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-evidence-of-the-natural-right-of-expatriation-like-that-of-our/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In conclusion it may be said that sin may be defined as lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either in act,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-berkhof/in-conclusion-it-may-be-said-that-sin-may-be-defined-as-lack-of/) [Louis Berkhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-berkhof/) > [Sin is lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either in act, disposition, or state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-hopkins-strong/sin-is-lack-of-conformity-to-the-moral-law-of-god-either-in-act/) [Augustus Hopkins Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-hopkins-strong/) > [I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-shall-see-with-sincere-satisfaction-the-progress-of-those/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ I... \[am\] convinced \[man\] has no natural right in opposition to his social duties. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-convinced-man-has-no-natural-right-in-opposition-to-his-social/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [By nature's law, every man has a right to seize and retake by force his own property taken from him by another, by force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/by-nature-s-law-every-man-has-a-right-to-seize-and-retake-by-force/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“The rights hereby asserted are of the natural rights of mankind, and that if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-rights-hereby-asserted-are-of-the-natural-rights-of-mankind-and/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Every State has a natural right in cases not within the compact (casus non faederis) to nullify of their own authority all assumptions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/every-state-has-a-natural-right-in-cases-not-within-the-compact-casus/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Whenever there is in any country, uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/whenever-there-is-in-any-country-uncultivated-lands-and-unemployed/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [It is a moot question whether the origin of any kind of property is derived from nature at all. It is agreed by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-is-a-moot-question-whether-the-origin-of-any-kind-of-property-is/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In a government bottomed on the will of all, the... liberty of every individual citizen becomes interesting to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-a-government-bottomed-on-the-will-of-all-the-liberty-of-every/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Law is often the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/law-is-often-the-tyrant-s-will-and-always-so-when-it-violates-the/) [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 inalienable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In America, no other distinction between man and man had ever been known but that of persons in office exercising powers by authority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-america-no-other-distinction-between-man-and-man-had-ever-been/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [An equal application of law to every condition of man is fundamental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/an-equal-application-of-law-to-every-condition-of-man-is-fundamental/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## 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 Conformity quotes > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [The Chains of conformity click in tiresomely monotonous unison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/the-chains-of-conformity-click-in-tiresomely-monotonous-unison/) [Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Ideation is not a synonym for innovation, conformity is not its simple antonym, and innovation is not the automatic consequence of "creative thinking.".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/ideation-is-not-a-synonym-for-innovation-conformity-is-not-its-simple/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [“I lead with the knowingness that my reality conforms to my wishes and desires instantly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-baker/i-lead-with-the-knowingness-that-my-reality-conforms-to-my-wishes-and/) [Robin S. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-baker/) > [Alas, everything that men say to one another is alike; the ideas they exchange are almost always the same, in their conversation. But inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-musset/alas-everything-that-men-say-to-one-another-is-alike-the-ideas-they/) [Alfred de Musset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-musset/) > [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Brontë was attempting to depict a character that adheres to the unchanging principles of her faith though she refused conformity to the particular practices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-swallow-prior/bront-was-attempting-to-depict-a-character-that-adheres-to-the/) [Karen Swallow Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-swallow-prior/) > [Officers conditioned to conformity in peacetime cannot be expected to behave boldly and flexibly in combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yingling/officers-conditioned-to-conformity-in-peacetime-cannot-be-expected-to/) [Paul Yingling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yingling/) > [The more civilized a nation, the more conformed its population, until that civilization's last age arrives, when multiplicity wages war with conformity. The former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-more-civilized-a-nation-the-more-conformed-its-population-until/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/society-everywhere-is-in-conspiracy-against-the-manhood-of-every-one/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Deaths, births, and marriages, considering how much they are separately dependent on the freedom of the human will, should seem to be subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/deaths-births-and-marriages-considering-how-much-they-are-separately/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) [Browse all 937 Conformity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Questions of natural right are triable by their conformity with the moral sense and reason of man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-by-their-conformity-with-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conformity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-by-their-conformity-with-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/thomas-jefferson-43_conformity_questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-b_1586599.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/thomas-jefferson-43_conformity_questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-b_1586599.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/thomas-jefferson-43_conformity_questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-b_1586599.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Questions of natural right are triable by their conformity with the moral sense and reason of man.” — 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": "Questions of natural right are triable...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-by-their-conformity-with-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/questions-of-natural-right-are-triable-by-their-conformity-with-the/#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 } } ] } ```