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Meaning
This reads as a warning about restraint, not a celebration of power. It can be taken to mean that real maturity is knowing when not to use what you can use, and that self-control is what makes power trustworthy rather than dangerous. It lands in politics, leadership, or any situation where authority must be held lightly.
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Historical Context
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
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About Thomas Jefferson
American statesman, writer, and philosopher
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, writer, and philosopher, and the third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. He was one of the Founding Fathers and is closely associated with the political ideals that came to be called Jeffersonian democracy. He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and his political thought shaped early American politics alongside federalism. Jefferson remains a defining figure in American political history, admired for his ideas and also remembered as a lifelong slave owner, a fact that makes his legacy deeply contested.
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READ THE SOURCE
Books by Thomas Jefferson
Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth
2007
Notes on the state of Virginia
1996