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A Guide to Finding Thomas Jefferson Quotations
Unfortunately Thomas Jefferson's writings and correspondence have not yet been comprehensively published, so it is virtually impossible to do an exhaustive search for a given quotation. However, his papers have been combed through by generations of historians and researchers, and and many of the most well-known quotations have been extracted and published at some point. We have listed the most useful of these published sources below, depending on whether you are looking for a specific quotation, or simply searching for Jefferson quotations on a given topic.
Finding the Source of a Quotation
If you have a quotation and are looking to confirm that Jefferson said it and/or provide a citation, we recommend the following sources:
- Monticello
Web site. Monticello actually has a network of different sites, all of which contain excerpts of Jefferson's writings to one degree or another. Use the search box in the upper right corner of the home page to search all our sites at once. The Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia is a particularly rich source for quotations, both genuine and spurious.
- Papers of Thomas Jefferson and the Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series. The definitive print edition of Jefferson's papers has a cumulative index in volume 21, and an internal index in each volume thereafter. Most of the Papers volume are now searchable online through the University of Virginia's Rotunda site (you or your institution must purchase access).
- The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia, edited by John P. Foley (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1900). This extensive work excerpts Thomas Jefferson's writings and letters to provide quotations organized by topic. If possible, check citations against the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, because the citations given in the Cyclopedia are often not exactly dated.
- Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government, a collection of quotations that is part of the UVA EText Center's Jefferson Collections.
- Jefferson Writings, edited by Merrill D. Peterson. This is an excellent collection of well-known Jefferson writings, and is available online as well.
- The Quotable Jefferson, by John P. Kaminski (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006). This new collection of Jefferson quotations, arranged by topic, is only available in print, but is a good source to check.
- Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress. The portion of Thomas Jefferson's papers that are at the Library of Congress are keyword-searchable, but many are not transcribed.
- If you have not found your quotation in any of the above sources, you must consider the possibility that it may not be a genuine Jefferson quotation. See our Spurious quotations page in the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia for more information.
Finding quotations on a Given Topic
- The Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia is a good place to browse quotations by topic.
- The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia, edited by John P. Foley (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1900). This extensive work excerpts Thomas Jefferson's writings and letters to provide quotations organized by topic. If possible, check citations against the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, because the citations given in the Cyclopedia are often not exactly dated.
- Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government, a collection of quotations that is part of the UVA EText Center's Jefferson Collections.
- The Quotable Jefferson, by John P. Kaminski (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 2006). This new collection of Jefferson
quotations, arranged by topic, is only available in print, but a
good source to check.
For additional assistance, contact the library.