Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

Beer, if drunk with moderation...(Spurious Quotation)

Find why researchers think Jefferson never wrote or said "Beer, if drunk with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health."

A modern-day portrait of Thomas Jefferson in early 19-century attire with a speech bubble next to his head that says, "I said what?!"

Quotation: "Beer, if drunk with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health."

Variations: "Beer, if drank [sic] with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health."

Sources consulted:

  1. Founders Online
  2. Thomas Jefferson retirement papers

Earliest known appearance in print: 20041

Earliest known appearance in print, attributed to Thomas Jefferson: see above

Comments: This quotation has not been found in the writings of Thomas Jefferson.  It is most likely a corruption of Jefferson's comment to James Madison, "[Rational society] informs the mind, sweetens the temper, chears our spirits, and promotes health."2

- Anna Berkes, 7/2/14

Footnotes

  1. Ken Wells, Travels with Barley: A Journey Through Beer Culture in America (New York: Free Press, 2004), 42.
  2. Jefferson to Madison, February 20, 1784, in PTJ, 6:550.  Transcription available at Founders Online.