I Thank God, I Have Been Able,

Slavery Discourages Arts And Manufacturing ...[and] Every Master Of Slaves Is Born A Petty Tyrant.

All Power Is Lodged In, And Consequently Derived From, The People. We Should Wear It As A Breastplate, And Buckle It On As Our Armour.

Considering The Natural Lust For Power So Inherent In Man, I Fear The Thirst Of Power Will Prevail To Oppress The People.

The Laws Of Nature Are The Laws Of God, Whose Authority Can Be Superseded By No Power On Earth.

I Charge [my Sons] Never To Let The Motives Of Private Interest Or Ambition To Influence Them To Betray, Nor The Terrors Of Poverty And Disgrace, Or The Fear Of Danger Or Of Death Deter Them From Asserting The Liberty Of Their Country, And Endeavoring To Transmit To Their Posterity Those Sacred Rights To Which Themselves Were Born