--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet by such worthless beings is a great…" description: "\"Yet by such worthless beings is a great nation to be governed and even made to deify their old king because he is only a fool and a maniac, and to forg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/thomas-jefferson-43_empires_yet-by-such-worthless-beings-is-a-great_1681844.jpg" --- # Yet by such worthless beings is a great nation to be… ![“Yet by such worthless beings is a great nation to be governed and even made to deify their old king because he is only a fool and a maniac, and to forgive and forget his having lost to them a great and flourishing empire.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/thomas-jefferson-43_empires_yet-by-such-worthless-beings-is-a-great_1681844.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/thomas-jefferson-43_empires_yet-by-such-worthless-beings-is-a-great_1681844.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/thomas-jefferson-43_empires_yet-by-such-worthless-beings-is-a-great_1681844.jpg) > “Yet by such worthless beings is a great nation to be governed and even made to deify their old king because he is only a fool and a maniac, and to forgive and forget his having lost to them a great and flourishing empire.” [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. The author criticizes a nation that blindly worships a foolish ruler, urging forgiveness and forgetting past defeats despite a flourishing empire. **In simple terms:** Blind loyalty to bad leaders harms societies. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek wise leadership. Themes politics leadership history Mood critical thoughtful Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - civic education - political reform - public discourse - historical analysis Key Concepts authoritarianism critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens hold leaders accountable? - What lessons do past empires teach today? A Different Perspective People may resist challenging entrenched power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beings Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-great-966866/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [Flourishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flourishing/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forgive and forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-and-forget/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Governed Deify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governed-deify-966867/) [Great nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-nation/) [Great nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-nations/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Maniacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maniacs/) [Nation Governed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-governed-818349/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Worthless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthless/) [Worthless Beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthless-beings-966865/) ## Related quotes > [True is the saying: 'In order to make the world tranquil and happy, the nation must first be well governed!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/true-is-the-saying-in-order-to-make-the-world-tranquil-and-happy-the/) [Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/) > [The one thing our Founding Fathers could not foresee - they were farmers, professional men, businessmen giving of their time and effort to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-one-thing-our-founding-fathers-could-not-foresee-they-were/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“(F)or it was the belief of the duchy that no nation can be governed well unless there is a majority which can impose its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-wibberley/f-or-it-was-the-belief-of-the-duchy-that-no-nation-can-be-governed/) [Leonard Wibberley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-wibberley/) > [The use of force alone is but temporary. 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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... 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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 Empires quotes > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. 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I put my trust in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-ii/it-is-the-soldier-and-the-army-not-parliamentary-majorities-and/) [Wilhelm II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-ii/) > [ \[Chinese\] are a huge empire now, you'll soon be - in a few years two billion people in the world. So, you should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/chinese-are-a-huge-empire-now-you-ll-soon-be-in-a-few-years-two/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [ \[In\] the national and religious conflict of the \[Byzantine and Saracen\] empires, peace was without confidence, and war without mercy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-the-national-and-religious-conflict-of-the-byzantine-and-saracen/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. 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