I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions indeed generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions, as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
About this quote
- Attributed to
- Thomas Jefferson
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Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · Portrait: Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860) (Public domain)
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