Since our third president would object to us celebrating his birthday (“The only birthday I ever commemorate,” Jefferson once said, “is that of our Independence, the Fourth of July.”) let’s take this opportunity to instead look at six quotes by Jefferson on liberty and government. Thomas Jefferson November 13, 1787 Thomas Jefferson Quote: The Tree of Liberty T-Shirt. -- John, Columbia : The 'Tree of Liberty' seems to have wasted away by years of apathy and ingratitude. Peter Onuf in The Mind of Thomas Jefferson mentions Jefferson’s avowed cowardice apropos of Benedict Arnold’s invasion of Virginia. Ok, let's get this straight. ~ Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President November 13, 1787, letter to William S. Smith, quoted in Padover's Jefferson On Democracy, ed., 1939 Thomas Jefferson Quote: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” It'll make some poor, timid little Lib very nervous, and it will be regarded by some as a sure prelude to flying bullets. ', 'Do you want to know who you are? On the day he bombed the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, Timothy McVeigh wore a t-shirt that bore Jefferson's words with an image of a tree with blood dripping from its branches. It is its natural manure. https://www.swiggyquotes.com/topics/thomas-jefferson-freedom-liberty-quotes Truly, Jefferson rolls in his grave because of the actions of both government and the people in this day and age. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Quote of the day—Thomas Jefferson. X (in 12 Volumes): Correspondence and Papers 1803-1807”, p.368, Cosimo, Inc. 97 Copy quote The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Action will delineate and define you. https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/96oct/obrien/blood.htm Act! Today is the 275th birthday of Thomas Jefferson. It was certainly not the first time a gun rights activist had referred to Jefferson's "tree of liberty" quote. Don't ask. “The Works of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. ', and 'I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.' I'm not going to come post bail for you when you get arrested with this hanging on your bumper. 524 quotes from Thomas Jefferson: 'I cannot live without books. The 'Tree of Liberty' seems to have wasted away by years of apathy and ingratitude.