---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Resort is had to ridicule only when…"
description: "\"Resort is had to ridicule only when reason is against us.\" — Thomas Jefferson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/thomas-jefferson-43_intelligence_resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reas_1446503.jpg"
---

#  Resort is had to ridicule only when reason is against us.

![“Resort is had to ridicule only when reason is against us.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/thomas-jefferson-43_intelligence_resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reas_1446503.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/thomas-jefferson-43_intelligence_resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reas_1446503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/thomas-jefferson-43_intelligence_resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reas_1446503.jpg)

> “Resort is had to ridicule only when reason is against us.”

[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.

Ridiculing others when logic opposes us shows insecurity and weakens discourse.

**In simple terms:** Avoid mockery when reason is lacking.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize reason over ridicule.

Themes

reason discourse integrity

Mood

critical reflective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- debates
- online arguments
- political discussions

Key Concepts

philosophy rhetoric

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do people mock instead of reason?
- What are the effects of ridicule on dialogue?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/)

## Related quotes

> [I recall an incident involving the late George Stigler at a conference in Spain in the 1980s. Hearing that I had written a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-van-dun/i-recall-an-incident-involving-the-late-george-stigler-at-a/)

[Frank Van Dun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-van-dun/)

> [In the middle ages of Christianity opposition to the State opinions was hushed. The consequence was, Christianity became loaded with all the Romish follies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-the-middle-ages-of-christianity-opposition-to-the-state-opinions/)

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

> [Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/ridicule-is-the-only-weapon-which-can-be-used-against-unintelligible-2/)

[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/)

> [Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/ridicule-is-the-only-weapon-which-can-be-used-against-unintelligible/)

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

> [“And then I got married and had kids and I got totally swallowed up by this ‘Mum’ persona. We were only meant to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/and-then-i-got-married-and-had-kids-and-i-got-totally-swallowed-up-by/)

[Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/)

> [I should be someones first resort, not their last priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snooki/i-should-be-someones-first-resort-not-their-last-priority/)

[Snooki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snooki/)

> [I used to watch 'Private Resort' and laugh all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/i-used-to-watch-private-resort-and-laugh-all-the-time/)

[Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/)

> [At my heaviest, I was 5'8" and 175 pounds. I ate well, but in too large quantities, and I rarely made a concerted effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-oz/at-my-heaviest-i-was-5-8-and-175-pounds-i-ate-well-but-in-too-large/)

[Daphne Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-oz/)

> [My experience with 'Last Resort' is very different from most of the cast. While they are next to a mountain, I'm always within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessy-schram/my-experience-with-last-resort-is-very-different-from-most-of-the/)

[Jessy Schram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessy-schram/)

> [Hua Hin is Thailand's royal beach resort and home to the king's summer palace. The local food is fantastic, the weather is beautiful, everything's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/hua-hin-is-thailand-s-royal-beach-resort-and-home-to-the-king-s/)

[Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/)

> [“There is a time and place for electromagnetic shielding and I regard it as a last resort due to the long term biological problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/there-is-a-time-and-place-for-electromagnetic-shielding-and-i-regard/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/for-years-i-had-a-top-secret-clearance-and-never-left-russia-just/)

[Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/)

> [Las Vegas is a resort whose two chief sources of income are seven and eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/las-vegas-is-a-resort-whose-two-chief-sources-of-income-are-seven-and/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [I love the sea, but I avoid any sort of seaside resort that has skyscrapers or seaside entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-blake/i-love-the-sea-but-i-avoid-any-sort-of-seaside-resort-that-has/)

[Quentin Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-blake/)

## 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 Intelligence quotes

> [If you can do anything for love there's no reason you can't do everything to someone you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayjay-guillermo/if-you-can-do-anything-for-love-there-s-no-reason-you-can-t-do/)

[Jayjay Guillermo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayjay-guillermo/)

> [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/)

[Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/)

> [“The mystery of the world is revealed only to the person who can look upon the material world with his physical eyes and simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/the-mystery-of-the-world-is-revealed-only-to-the-person-who-can-look/)

[Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [“Your mind has the intellect to lift the world, your heart has the wisdom to better the world, and your soul has the genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-mind-has-the-intellect-to-lift-the-world-your-heart-has-the/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [An ex is an ex for a reason, they are an EXample of what you don't want in your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/an-ex-is-an-ex-for-a-reason-they-are-an-example-of-what-you-don-t/)

[Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/)

> [“When it comes to smarts, adolescents like Jesse have plenty. What they lack, however, are some of the brain-based skills that we all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-guare/when-it-comes-to-smarts-adolescents-like-jesse-have-plenty-what-they/)

[Richard Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-guare/)

> [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/)

[Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/)

> [“A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-schramm/a-smart-person-learns-from-his-mistakes-but-a-truly-wise-person/)

Ken Schramm

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/)

[Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/)

[Browse all 9,546 Intelligence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Resort is had to ridicule only when reason is against us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reason-is-against-us/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Intelligence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reason-is-against-us/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/thomas-jefferson-43_intelligence_resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reas_1446503.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/thomas-jefferson-43_intelligence_resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reas_1446503.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/thomas-jefferson-43_intelligence_resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reas_1446503.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Resort is had to ridicule only when reason is against us.” — 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": "Resort is had to ridicule only...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reason-is-against-us/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/resort-is-had-to-ridicule-only-when-reason-is-against-us/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
