Letter to Col. William S. Smith, November 13, 1787 Quotes

Context

This line was written by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Col. William S. Smith in 1787.

You're in a battle, but have holes in your boots, no fingers for your gloves, no food in your belly, and no money from your boss, which happens to be the government. You survive the war and go home penniless. Around 1785, that same government that didn't pay you takes away your livestock and your land because you can't pay your taxes—bummer times two.

You protest to the politicians but they go home for recess. Now you're really heated. No one's listening and you're not gonna take it anymore. A lot of neighbors are feeling the same pain. So you have an armed neighborhood rebellion. It's a potluck thing with potato salad and lemonade... and ammunition.

That's the backdrop for this quote. Jefferson thinks a bloody tantrum every so often is an okay thing to keep rulers aware of and responsive to their people. But, like the common cold, political flip-flops are nothing new. When Jefferson was president, he stomped on these kinds of tantrums like the Hulk squishing a spider, especially when Americans were caught smuggling their apple pies to countries on his naughty list.

Where you've heard it

You'll find this mostly on T-shirts and political manifestos, or at NRA conventions. But not at hippie reunions—they're too busy blissing out on their brownies and chanting "make love, not war."

Timothy McVeigh, who carried out the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, had a favorite T-shirt with this quote on it.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Pretty much any obscure Founding Father quote sounds crazy pretentious—especially if the quote is not particularly profound or insightful. The only reason this quote isn't at a 10 with its fancy freedom tree (how does one refresh a tree, really?) is because TJ is saying what everyone else already knows: sometimes you just gotta rustle the government's feathers. Mmkay, what else is new?