Another quote of the day – Thomas Jefferson

“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’, because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.”

“No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him.” [Thomas Jefferson to Francis Gilmer, 1816]

There have been volumes written about it, but that’s all that needs to said on the subject of liberty. Truth requires few words.

I’ve heard all of the “Yeah but…” arguments, so don’t bother. Those all come from people who see themselves as would-be social engineers (obstructionists).

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7 thoughts on “Another quote of the day – Thomas Jefferson

  1. I like your use of “obstructionists.”

    Reminds me of “wreckers” from the early days of the Soviet Union.

    Use their own propaganda tools against them, I say!

    • I fully agree, but I was merely taking from Jefferson’s excellent definition;
      “Rightful liberty is unobstructed action…”

      Hence, the anti-libertarian, the communist, Fascist, Progressive, socialist any Social Engineer or Central Planner by any name, is an obstructionist. Pure and simple.

  2. There are a large number of great Jefferson quotes, and some that aren’t his but are widely attributed to him. Here’s one I like a lot:
    “And what is our resource for the preservation of the Constitution? Reason and argument? You might as well reason and argue with the marble columns encircling them.”– Thomas Jefferson, letter to William B. Giles, December 26, 1825.

  3. Yeah, but…
    Why would someone who believed that go through all the effort and expense of running for office?

    I agree with you, but our system is currently set up to actively weed out those who would represent, rather than rule.

    • True, but that system isn’t foolproof. Sometimes it allows people like Ron and Rand Paul to win. And while one can take issue with some of their positions, they certainly take the Constitution seriously, unlike about 99% of their colleagues.

    • In any case it is important to keep the ideal in mind, oitherwise it is impossible to work toward that ideal.

      That is the only point to this post. You may say that our chances are such and such, or our tactics should X, Y and Z and I won’t argue, but if the ideal is not understood and embraced all along the way, then our chances are zero and tactics don’t change anything.

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