--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God." description: "\"Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.\" — Thomas Jefferson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/thomas-jefferson-43_obedience_rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god_932890.jpg" --- # Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God. ![“Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/thomas-jefferson-43_obedience_rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god_932890.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/thomas-jefferson-43_obedience_rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god_932890.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/thomas-jefferson-43_obedience_rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god_932890.jpg) > “Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.” [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. Defying tyrannical rule is a divine duty. **In simple terms:** Rebellion against tyranny is holy. Key Takeaway Stand against oppression. Themes politics morality religion Mood reflective serious Type historical political When to use this quote - social movements - legal reform - activism - faith communities Key Concepts civil disobedience theology Questions to Reflect On - When is rebellion justified? - How does faith influence political action? A Different Perspective Rebellion can conflict with law and order. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Obedience to god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience-to-god/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) ## Related quotes > [Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knox/resistance-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god/) [John Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knox/) > [I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old Revolutionary maxim. Resistance to tyranny is obedience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/i-shall-earnestly-and-persistently-continue-to-urge-all-women-to-the/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [I say to you with all the fervor of my soul that God intended men to be free. Rebellion against tyranny is a righteous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/i-say-to-you-with-all-the-fervor-of-my-soul-that-god-intended-men-to/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Every virtue is a form of obedience to God. Every evil word or act is a form of rebellion against Him. This may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-neill/every-virtue-is-a-form-of-obedience-to-god-every-evil-word-or-act-is/) [Stephen Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-neill/) > [Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rebellion-to-tyrants-is-obedience-to-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/resistance-to-tyrants-is-obedience-to-god/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A little rebellion now and then is a good thing. Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. In order to flourish, the tree of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-little-rebellion-now-and-then-is-a-good-thing-rebellion-to-tyrants/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“He's spent all his life in good-natured rebellion against the tyranny of the unimportant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hardy/he-s-spent-all-his-life-in-good-natured-rebellion-against-the-tyranny/) Robin Hardy > [Faith and obedience are inescapably related. There is no saving faith in God apart from obedience to God, and there can be no godly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/faith-and-obedience-are-inescapably-related-there-is-no-saving-faith/) [John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [Obedience to God is an expression of our love for GOd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/obedience-to-god-is-an-expression-of-our-love-for-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every time you open up your heart in obedience to God and worship Him with all your heart, all your mind, and all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-zschech/every-time-you-open-up-your-heart-in-obedience-to-god-and-worship-him/) [Darlene Zschech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlene-zschech/) > [I believe Christians often perceive obedience to God as some test designed just to see if we’re really committed to Him. But what if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/i-believe-christians-often-perceive-obedience-to-god-as-some-test/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [If my ruling disposition is self-interest, I perceive that everything that happens to me is always for or against my self-interest; if, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-my-ruling-disposition-is-self-interest-i-perceive-that-everything/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) ## 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 Obedience quotes > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [Today the meaning of the word believe has been weakened. In the eyes of most it has become a mere acknowledgment of a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/today-the-meaning-of-the-word-believe-has-been-weakened-in-the-eyes/) [John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/) > [“God uses one whom others would have passed over without a second glance. The history of obedience to the Great Commission is full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-paterson/god-uses-one-whom-others-would-have-passed-over-without-a-second/) [Ross Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-paterson/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Women who join together with each other to deny the male god who cursed their sex and to reject his demands for obedience, praise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trista-hendren/women-who-join-together-with-each-other-to-deny-the-male-god-who/) [Trista Hendren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trista-hendren/) > [Faith is the power, obedience the sacrifice, love the means, Christ the reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/faith-is-the-power-obedience-the-sacrifice-love-the-means-christ-the/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [ “In 1914... \[German\] history, poetry, dream and the individual moment were all combined in one exhilarating sensation...The nation was a creation of one's imagination,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eksteins/in-1914-german-history-poetry-dream-and-the-individual-moment-were/) The Rites of Spring Modris Eksteins > [Obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/obedience-is-the-psychological-mechanism-that-links-individual-action/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sin to know, Can it be death? And do they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/knowledge-forbidden-suspicious-reasonless-why-should-their-lord-envy/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) [Browse all 1,729 Obedience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Obedience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/thomas-jefferson-43_obedience_rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god_932890.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/thomas-jefferson-43_obedience_rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god_932890.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/thomas-jefferson-43_obedience_rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god_932890.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.” — 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": "Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/rebellion-to-tyranny-is-obedience-to-god/#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 } } ] } ```