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We have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice… — Thomas Jefferson

Letter

We have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.

Thomas Jefferson
1820
★ 3.8

On American slavery.

Other tags relating to this quote
Topic
Slavery
Medium
Letter
Time
1820
Person
Thomas Jefferson
Provenance
Current citation
Jefferson, Thomas. "John Holmes, April 22, 1820." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.
Original citation
Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to John Holmes. 22 Apr. 1820.

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