托马斯·杰斐逊(Thomas Jefferson, 1743－1826), 是美国政治家、外交家、律师、建筑师、哲学家和开国元勋。他曾于1801年至1809年担任美国第三任总统。作为《独立宣言》的主要作者，杰斐逊是民主、共和主义和个人权利的支持者，他激励美国殖民者脱离大不列颠王国，建立一个新的国家;他在州和国家两级制定了形成性文件和决定。
英汉智慧语录 English and Chinese Brainy Quotes
Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
任何苦难, 只要尚能忍受, 人类还是宁愿容忍，而不去为了拯救自己废除他们久已习惯了的政府形式。
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.
经验表明，即使是在最好的政府形式下，那些被赋予权力的人也会随着时间的推移而缓慢地把它歪曲成暴政。
All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
大家也将牢记这一神圣的原则: 虽然多数人的意志在任何情况下都是占上风的，但那合法的意志必须是合理的; 少数人拥有同样的平等权利，法律必须平等地保护，侵犯这些权利，就是压迫。
Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
正当的自由是指在他人享有平等权利的范围内，我们按照自己的意愿进行的不受阻碍的行为。我这里没有加上“法律范围内”这个词，因为法律往往不过是暴君的意志，而且当法律侵犯个人权利时总是如此。
Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
商人无国域。他们所站的位置并不像他们从中获得利益那样构成一种强烈的依恋。
Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct.
只要一个人渴望得到公职，他的行为就会开始堕落。
Don’t talk about what you have done or what you are going to do.
不要谈论你已经做了什么或将要做什么。
Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.
把整个下午都留给锻炼和娱乐，这和阅读一样必要。我宁愿说更有必要，因为健康比学习更有价值。
