Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest of U.S. presidents. There are plenty of quotes attributed to Jefferson circulating on the Internet, some of which appear to have been fabricated. The following set of quotes has been checked for verifiable attribution to Thomas Jefferson. As one reads these quotes, it is easy to see evidence of struggles that continue to this day, and yet the common sense eloquence of these statements from the early years of our nation rings truer today than ever.


