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Reply With QuoteTheir web site is super disorganized. I think that they just have more material than they can possibly organize--Jefferson was very prolific. So I think it's probably neglect, rather than malice, which hides some of the material there.
Probably very old news to some. Verified at monticello.org....though they seem to "hide" it as it only came up via a "spurious quotes" section wherein it is briefly legitimized/mentioned while denying another "internet" Jefferson quote.
Here it is from a prospectus Jefferson wrote [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75)]for his translation of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy in a letter to Joseph Milligan in April, 1816:[/COLOR]
"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."
And a good one from Lincoln:
“If we except the light and the air of heaven, no good thing has been or can be enjoyed by us without having first cost labor. And inasmuch as most good things are produced by labor, it follows that all such things of right belong to those whose labor has produced them. But it has so happened, in all the ages of the world, that some have labored, and others have without labor enjoyed a large proportion of the fruits. This is wrong, and should not continue. To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as nearly as possible, is a worthy object of any good government.”
Last edited by Sean K.; 04-20-2019 at 02:07 PM.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human liberty. It is the argument of tyrants; the creed of slaves."-William Pitt the Younger
Their web site is super disorganized. I think that they just have more material than they can possibly organize--Jefferson was very prolific. So I think it's probably neglect, rather than malice, which hides some of the material there.
....something else that has been on my mind a lot. Collusion is always an easy explanation, I am understanding more and more that this can be not only a comforting avenue of thought but also, the path of least resistance.Originally Posted by TomAiello
Not that collusion and conspiracy do not exist, but a coincidental, or mutually beneficial spontaneous alignment of motivation can often read as much more happening than what actually is........
...if you're the type looking for answers though, this is a terrifyingly necessary perspective.
The only conclusion is that all challenges must be approached from the ground up, tabula rasa.....and that carry over from previous experiences or thoughts must be done with absolute care, as they carry with them the potential to weigh the outcome, by an exponentially increasing multiplier, toward chaos.
....as a creature of habit.....this is probably the hardest thing I'm currently trying to do.
Acknowledge that today is not yesterday.....in all ways.
Last edited by TexasChris; 03-02-2019 at 07:04 PM.
Do what you've always done, get what you've always got. ----- Have gun. Will travel.
Another possible conclusion (which is much less comforting) is that you must treat society _as if_ it were a unified system actively conspiring against you at all times.
I've emailed them in the past about another quote that they flubbed. As you said, might not be malice, but the person I corresponded with seemed a little miffed that I'd questioned it in the first place. One thing they did note that would support the former theory is that their search engine is pretty damn specific. Left out a comma in one portion and that's why it couldn't find the quote....supposedly.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human liberty. It is the argument of tyrants; the creed of slaves."-William Pitt the Younger
We should start a thread with good quotes.
I agree!
"Spes Mea in Deo Est"--My hope is in GOD
The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend.--Aristotle
Tom, I've pondered on this for a few days now, and all I can say is this....though I'm trying like hell to close the gap, you're always somewhere between 3, and 30 steps ahead of me...and it's a thing I'm grateful for. I'll continue to think on this and with any luck, one day I'll be able to stand on the shoulders of ideas like this.
If I really get down to it, I'm as grateful for the people I've disagreed with (though I certainly could have done it with more grace) as much as I am the people with whom I share similar thoughts. Disagreements have allowed me to inventory, catalog and vet my own philosophies.....ultimately leading to a greater understanding of self.
I flourish as the dumbest guy in the room.....and get bored very rapidly when I am not.....which is probably why I keep coming back. I've learned so much about so much, and for this guy, learning is a hiccup away from communion with the divine. I don't ever want to quit learning.
I've said it before but it's a fact bears repeating.....being exposed to the minds and ideas that that have collected in this space has been a huge net positive in my life.
Do what you've always done, get what you've always got. ----- Have gun. Will travel.
Feel the same way......shame to see our membership dwindle like it has.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human liberty. It is the argument of tyrants; the creed of slaves."-William Pitt the Younger
Updating the thread with another Jefferson quote that is hard to find and isn't the one that I'm actually looking for, but discusses his opposition to the ownership of land in perpetuity.
This is purportedly from a letter to Madison in 1785:
Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise. Whenever there is in any country, uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to labour and live on. If, for the encouragement of industry we allow it to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be furnished to those excluded from the appropriation. If we do not the fundamental right to labour the earth returns to the unemployed. It is too soon yet in our country to say that every man who cannot find employment but who can find uncultivated land, shall be at liberty to cultivate it, paying a moderate rent. But it is not too soon to provide by every possible means that as few as possible shall be without a little portion of land. The small landholders are the most precious part of a state.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human liberty. It is the argument of tyrants; the creed of slaves."-William Pitt the Younger
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