Thomas Jefferson’s Ten Rules for the Good Life

I was inspired by Jefferson after a recent visit to Monticello. I have a print of his “Ten Rules for the Good Life” hanging on my wall at home. I’m inclined to share here:

  1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
  2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
  3. Never spend your money before you have it.
  4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.
  5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
  6. We seldom repent of having eaten too little.
  7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
  8. Don’t let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.
  9. Always take things by their smooth handle.
  10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred.

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1 thought on “Thomas Jefferson’s Ten Rules for the Good Life”

  1. I repent of having eaten too little all the time. RIght now I am repenting not eating a huge banana split today. I think it would have made me a happier person.

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