I am but a son of nature, loving what I see & feel, without being able to give a reason, nor caring much whether there be one.

nothing in Europe can counterbalance the freedom, the simplicity, the friendship & the domestic felicity we enjoy in America.

you know that nobody wishes more ardently to see an abolition not only of the trade but of the condition of slavery: and certainly nobody will be more willing to encounter every sacrifice for that object.

we are now vibrating between too much & too little government, & the pendulum will rest finally in the middle.

the precept however is wise which directs us to ‘try all things, & hold fast that which is good.’

as to the new Constitution I find myself nearly a Neutral. there is a great mass of good in it, in a very desireable form: but there is also to me a bitter pill, or two.

the people ... are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.

the people can not be all, & always, well informed. the part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. if they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. we have had 13....

it is really an assembly of demi-gods.

Agriculture ... is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals & happiness.