heard a story awhile back about some friends who went swimming in a river. It was spring, and the glacier runoff had made the river pretty dangerous. Nonetheless one of the guys jumped in, got caught in the current, and was taken to the dangerous part of the rapids. One of his friends on the shore was a lifeguard, and all the other friends looked at him to do something. He just stood there, though, not moving, just staring at his friend. The others began to panic and yell at him and tell him to go save his friend! Still nothing. They looked out into the river and saw their friend struggling desperately. In an instant, though, the struggle stopped. He could no longer fight and began to drown. When that happened, the lifeguard jumped in and with a few swift strokes rescued the friend and brought him to shore. With the adrenaline wearing off, the group yelled at the lifeguard, “Why didn’t you jump in earlier? He could’ve died!” He calmly looked at them and said, “I had to wait until he fully gave up. Unless he stopped fighting, he would have dragged me under and drowned me with him. But the minute he gave up, I could save him.


Jefferson Bethke

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It is, therefore, with the sincerest pleasure I have observed on the part of the British government ...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
The desire to preserve our country from the calamities and ravages of war, by cultivating a disposit...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I have come to a resolution myself as I hope every good citizen will, never again to purchase any ar...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Here was buried Thomas Jefferson author of the Declaration of American Independence of the Statute o...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was a...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
It behoves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the ...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
There are two sides to every question, because, when there are no longer two sides it ceases to be a...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I have not observed men's honesty to increase with their riches.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to admit it.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Politics are such a torment that I would advise every one I love not to mix with them.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Public employment contributes neither to advantage nor happiness. It is but honorable exile from one...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
The man who fears no truths has nothing to fear from lies.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Power is not alluring to pure minds
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater ...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
It is the trade of lawyers to question everything, yield nothing, and to talk by the hour.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth ...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations...entangling alliances with none
THOMAS JEFFERSON
For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
The man who fears no truth has nothing to fear from lies.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquillity and occupation which give happiness.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
When the moral sense is wanting, we endeavor to supply the defect by education, by appeals to reason...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
We are but tenants and shortly the great landlord will give us notice that our lease has expired.
JOSEPH JEFFERSON
Conscience is the chamber of justice.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
...vast accession of strength from their younger recruits, who having nothing in them of the feeling...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
The earth is given as a common for men to labor and live in.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil s...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in t...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
There exists indeed an opposition to it [building of UVA, Jefferson's secular college] by the...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I agree with yours of the 22d that a professorship of Theology should have no place in our instit...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I have never been able to conceive how any rational being could propose happiness to himself from th...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Whereas it appeareth that however certain forms of government are better calculated than others to p...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
If you want something you've never had
You must be willing to do something you've never done.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
The Creator has not thought proper to mark those in the forehead who are of stuff to make good gener...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
I think with the Romans, that the general of today should be a soldier tomorrow if necessary.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
A little rebellion now and then... is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers w...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you w...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbeliev...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
While wading through the whimsies, the puerilities, and unintelligible jargon of this work Plato's R...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Great innovations should not be forced on slender majorities.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he...
THOMAS JEFFERSON
In truth, politeness is artificial good humor, it covers the natural want of it, and ends by renderi...
THOMAS JEFFERSON