I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.

no body wishes more than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren, talents equal to those of the other colours of men, & that the appearance of a want of them is owing merely to the degraded condition of their existence both in Africa & America....

call on me, in your turn, whenever you come to town: and if it should be about the hour of three, I shall rejoice the more. You will find a bad dinner, a good glass of wine, and a host thankful for your favor, and desirous of encouraging repetitions of it without number, form or ceremony.

on the whole I find nothing any where else in point of climate which Virginia need envy to any part of the world. here they are locked up in ice and snow for six months. Spring and autumn, which make a paradise of our country, are rigorous winter with them, and a Tropical summer breaks on them...

whenever it is proposed to prepare plans for the Capitol, I should prefer the adoption of some one of the models of antiquity which have had the approbation of thousands of years

I send for your acceptance some sheets of drawing-paper, which being laid off in squares representing feet, or what you please, saves the necessity of using the rule & dividers in all rectangular draughts & those whose angles have their sines & co-sines in the proportion of any...

The succession to Dr Franklin at the court of France, was an excellent school of humility. on being presented to any one as the Minister of America, the common-place question, used in such cases, was ‘c’est vous, Monsieur, qui remplace le Docteur Franklin?’ ‘it is you, Sir, who replace Doctor...

Je vous en envoye 4 Caisses de 25 Bouteilles chacunne à raison de 50 S. la bouteille, elles sont en verre de france, et une 5e Caisse de 25 Bouteilles de 1786 en verre Englais, à raison de 3 [livre tournois] la bouteille. EDITORS’ TRANSLATION I am sending you 4 cases of 25 bottles each for 50 S...

I have wrought an entire reformation on the rest of my household nothing comes in or goes out without my knowledge and I believe there is as little waste as possible

Perhaps you think you have nothing to say to me ... there is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me ... Write then my dear daughter punctually on your day