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> This is an extremely impressive collection of Jefferson quotes and a > very well done page. Its really terrific. I am wondering if you might be > able to help me track down a quote that I believe came from Thomas > Jefferson. If you are familiar with it and can point me to a source > that would be great. Thanks. > > If I remember correctly, it goes something like this: > >'I must study war and diplomacy so that my son may study art and > literature.' > > > I believe that it is roughly along those lines, but I'm not certain > where I remember hearing it from or even if it is accurate. Do you know > if that is indeed a Jefferson quote? and how exactly it is worded? Thanks for your kind remarks. I do not believe the quote is from Thomas Jefferson. For one thing, he did not have a son; or more accurately, he did not have a son that survived infancy. The quote is not, in my opinion, Jefferson's style. Offhand, it sounds like late 19th or early 20th century to me. "Diplomacy" is not a word Jefferson used that I am aware of, though he did use the term "diplomatic," as in "little or no diplomatic establishment," and "diplomatic characters of economical grade." But he never spoke of things like the practice of diplomacy, that I have run across. Nevertheless, I have not read *every* word that Jefferson wrote, and it is remotely possible he may have made the statement. But I really don't think so. There is this quotation from Jefferson which is similar to what you seek: "The reflections that the boys of this age are to be the men of the next; that they should be prepared to receive the holy charge which we are cherishing to deliver over to them; that in establishing an institution of wisdom for them, we secure it to all our future generations; that in fulfilling this duty, we bring home to our own bosoms the sweet consolation of seeing our sons rising under a luminous tuition, to destinies of high promise; these are considerations which will occur to all." --Thomas Jefferson to James Breckinridge, 1821. ME 15:314 If you are near a large public library, I would suggest that you call and ask for the Reference Desk and ask them the source of the quote you seek. They will look it up for you and call you back, and you won't even need to go into the library. That would be the easiest way to track it down. Another way might be to put a distinct part of the phrase (one that you're pretty sure of) in a search engine like Alta Vista or Infoseek. If it is anywhere on the internet (and there are jillions of quotation pages), it will likely pop up. The best way, however, is to call your public library. A quote similar to the one you inquire about has been attributed to John Adams, but I have not confirmed that possibility.