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About this quote

What does it mean?
Jefferson clarifies he expresses doubt rather than firm opinion on certain matters.
In plain terms
He is sharing doubt, not a fixed belief.
What can you take from it?
Doubt is a valid intellectual stance.

Where it applies

  • debate
  • writing
  • personal reflection

Putting it to work

  • acknowledge uncertainty
  • avoid dogma
  • remain open-minded

Questions to consider

  • When is it better to express doubt than opinion?
  • How do you handle uncertainty in decision-making?

Another view

Some situations require decisive action despite doubt.

More from Thomas Jefferson

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  2. It has always been denied by the republican party in this country, that the Constitution had given the power of incorporation to Congress. On the establishment…

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  3. The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.

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