"The foundation on which (our government is)..." - Quote by Thomas Jefferson
The foundation on which (our government is) built is the natural equality of man, the denial of every pre-eminence but that annexed to legal office, and particularly the denial of a pre-eminence by birth.
More by Thomas Jefferson
“The only orthodox object of the institution of government is to secure the greatest degree of happiness possible to the general mass of those associated under it.”
“Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.”
“When habit has strengthened our sense of duties, they leave us no time for other things; but when young we neglect them and this gives us time for anything.”
More on Equality
“I believe in the single standard -- for men and women.”
“When I meet people from other cultures I know that they too want happiness and do not want suffering, this allows me to see them as brothers and sisters.”
“We stand committed to the proposition that freedom is no half-and-half affair. If the average citizen is guaranteed equal opportunity in the polling place, he must have equal opportunity in the market place.”
More on Government
“Man is not the enemy of man, but through the medium of a false system of Government. Instead, therefore, of exclaiming against the ambition of kings, the exclamation should be directed against the principle of such governments; and instead of seeking to reform the individual, the wisdom of a nation should apply itself to reform the system.”
“While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in the short space of four years.”
“... happily the Government of the United States... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”