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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 we must assume that any "good" 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. We have identified a number of the most well-known Jefferson quotations on our Web site; they are organized by topic. The Jefferson Library Web site also lists some well-known quotations here.
- 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 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.
- 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. The Papers volumes themselves are not online, but click on the link above to view the indexes for volumes 27-32.
- 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 for more information.
Finding quotations on a Given Topic
- Monticello Web site. We have identified a number of the most well-known Jefferson quotations on our Web site; organized by topic. The Jefferson Library Web site also lists some well-known quotations here.
- 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.