--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We will be soldiers, so our sons may be…" description: "\"We will be soldiers, so our sons may be farmers, so their sons may be artists\" — Thomas Jefferson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/thomas-jefferson-43_art_we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-f_959730.jpg" --- # We will be soldiers, so our sons may be farmers, so their… ![“We will be soldiers, so our sons may be farmers, so their sons may be artists” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/thomas-jefferson-43_art_we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-f_959730.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/thomas-jefferson-43_art_we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-f_959730.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/thomas-jefferson-43_art_we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-f_959730.jpg) > “We will be soldiers, so our sons may be farmers, so their sons may be artists” [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. He envisions a society where each generation frees the next to pursue different, more peaceful roles, emphasizing progress through specialization and peace. **In simple terms:** Future generations should have different, more peaceful jobs. Key Takeaway Promote peace and let each generation choose its own path. Themes peace progress generational change specialization freedom Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family planning - education policy - career counseling - agricultural reform - artistic patronage Key Concepts social contract economic shift cultural evolution Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure peaceful transitions between occupations? - What policies support diverse career paths? A Different Perspective Assumes all societies can transition smoothly without conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Farmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmers/) [Farmers Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmers-sons-1766422/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [Soldiers Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiers-sons-1766419/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sons/) [Sons Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sons-artists-1766421/) [Sons Farmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sons-farmers-1766420/) ## Related quotes > [When you go to school with farmers' sons called John and Steven it doesn't half toughen you up to be called Lindsay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/when-you-go-to-school-with-farmers-sons-called-john-and-steven-it/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) > [While the farmer holds the title to the land, actually, it belongs to all the people because civilization itself rests upon the soil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/while-the-farmer-holds-the-title-to-the-land-actually-it-belongs-to/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The plough is to the farmer what the wand is to the sorcerer. Its effect is really like sorcery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-plough-is-to-the-farmer-what-the-wand-is-to-the-sorcerer-its/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-children-are-not-your-children-they-are-the-sons-and-daughters/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is not imitation that makes sons. It is sonship that make imitators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/it-is-not-imitation-that-makes-sons-it-is-sonship-that-make-imitators/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Rom 8:14   You are not even considered a son of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-houge/many-as-are-led-by-the-spirit-of-god-these-are-sons-of-god-rom-8-14/) [Adam Houge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-houge/) > [It always seems to me so odd that when a man dies, he takes out with him all the knowledge that he has got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baden-powell/it-always-seems-to-me-so-odd-that-when-a-man-dies-he-takes-out-with/) [Robert Baden-Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baden-powell/) > [“I live in a binary star system, my two suns being my two sons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrado-ghinamo/i-live-in-a-binary-star-system-my-two-suns-being-my-two-sons/) [Corrado Ghinamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrado-ghinamo/) > [The stag tells him that he is the eldest of the sons - the father's favorite - and he warns the father that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-solti/the-stag-tells-him-that-he-is-the-eldest-of-the-sons-the-father-s/) [Georg Solti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-solti/) > [“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for-all-purposes-completely/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I write at a desk. I have a room of my own where I can have my computer. I write in there, usually directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-write-at-a-desk-i-have-a-room-of-my-own-where-i-can-have-my/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [It is not the imitation that makes sons; it is sonship that makes imitators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/it-is-not-the-imitation-that-makes-sons-it-is-sonship-that-makes/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Having kids is the deal-breaker on shyness! Once you have a baby, you learn to speak up loud and clear to protect them, defend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/having-kids-is-the-deal-breaker-on-shyness-once-you-have-a-baby-you/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [So far I'm still standing on 'Sons of Anarchy' but all the rest of the people on the show have me in their crosshairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-pileggi/so-far-i-m-still-standing-on-sons-of-anarchy-but-all-the-rest-of-the/) [Mitch Pileggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-pileggi/) > [“Few sons are like their fathers--most are worse, few better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/few-sons-are-like-their-fathers-most-are-worse-few-better/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) ## 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 Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We will be soldiers, so our sons may be farmers, so their sons may be artists", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-farmers-so-their-sons-may-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-farmers-so-their-sons-may-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/thomas-jefferson-43_art_we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-f_959730.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/thomas-jefferson-43_art_we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-f_959730.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/thomas-jefferson-43_art_we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-f_959730.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We will be soldiers, so our sons may be farmers, so their sons may be artists” — 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": "We will be soldiers, so our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-farmers-so-their-sons-may-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-will-be-soldiers-so-our-sons-may-be-farmers-so-their-sons-may-be/#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 } } ] } ```