I love the quote, and it fits with Jefferson's thinking. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that Jefferson ever said it. The quote has never been found among any of his writings.

http://wiki.monticello.org/mediawiki/index.php/That _government_is_best_which_governs_least

It does not work today because it's political suicide to even believe something like that. Government must do more for the people because a majority of us aren't capable of disciplining ourselves.

Hard core conservatives and libertarians like to use this quote as a catalyst for their arguments against income taxation, the welfare state, publicly owned utilities and services, the minimum wage, gun control etc. This is fair enough, but remember he said this BEFORE any of the things mentioned above even existed... UPDATE: I dislike the oft repeated notion that this somehow relieves the burden of responsibility to help ones fellow man. Saying I owe a debt to no-one, I am completely self-sufficient is probably untrue. All men were once tiny babies who needed doctors to deliver them, parents to work and buy their food and shelter for them, who in turn needed the builders and farmers, who in turn needed those who extracted the building materials and made the fertilizer etc. No man is an island, we are all part of a society which was created by the hard work of millions, not a select few. I don't think the social safety net is as large or as tight as some think, I must say as long as there are over 20 million Americans living in poverty, often indebted, teenage single parents, functionally illiterate, facing serious illness or disability I will be inclined to say there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. Things are not becoming easier for the poverty stricken either, since 2001 the percentage of people living in poverty in the USA has increased by over 6% (source: the independent) and I'm not blaming Dubya for this either. I'm no fan of big brother looking over my shoulder but I remain firm in my belief that as long as poverty continues to expand and ravage the world, there is an obligation to provide help and opportunities to those in desperate need and society has a responsibility to do it. What I am saying is that there must be some sort of balance in society, self-discipline has been the key factor in innovation and a growing economy but without compassion and a basic love for humanity to temper it, all the drive and initiative in the world cannot help those who are suffering.

This quote by Thomas Jefferson, who is one of the greatest thinkers of the early American Republic, really hits at the core of the American ideal. It doesn't mean that we should abolish the social safety net that ensures that everyone has equality of opportunity. The citizens have invested far too much in social security and other government programs; we can't get rid of them. This has more to do with our perceptions of government and society in general. I think we're becoming a soft people and that's not good. A sense of entitlement is never a good thing and that is what Jefferson was warning us about in this quote. Entitlement leads to arrogance and that's why the world sees us the way they do. As a people we need to remain focused and down to Earth. We've been blessed with great prosperity but unfortunately this leads to gluttonous behavior. This country was built on the determinaition of our predecessors to make a country that was at the forefront in science, infrastructure, technology, and the humanities. In order for America to remain on top, we have to continue to remain disciplined in these fields. Government can provide a social safety, many times it is needed to protect the citizens from the excesses of capitalism, but government intervention is no substitute for human initiative. Big government has never been at the forefront of human innovation, it is always the ordinary citizen who has been. Discipline requires initiative, and your government, your spouse, or your parents can't provide that for you. Your life is in your hands. Make the most of it.

A fundamental principle of our country's founders which guided them as they created our nation's government. However, I agree with JonTheMan that this quote is not truly applicable in today's national and international climate, with terrorism, high crime rates, corporate fraud, and a majority of citizens that DO NOT discipline themselves.

The sooner the American people realize that their elected officials often (if not usually) have ulterior motives, the sooner they'll reduce government to the minimum necessary. Of course, how *much* is necessary is debatable, but we need to get back to the notion that the government's main purpose is to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I just wish more people realized this......