Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules for Life. Presidential Advice for Children

Let’s Talk About Parenting with a Wise Person

In recent weeks, I’ve had multiple conversations with friends about the topic of parenting. It’s a lively, thought-provoking subject. What frustrates me the most when a child misbehaves? It’s that they seem to channel all their energy into opposing me, while they’d be better off battling the wrongs of the wider world. But never mind, that can come later. Let the child remain blissfully unaware of those for now.

In the meantime, let’s seek advice from a wise person. How about the President of the United States? That works. But let’s not bother the current ones; instead, let’s turn to a former president — Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.

One of Jefferson’s longtime friends and political allies, Samuel Harrison Smith [1], once asked him to write a letter of guidance for his newborn son. The former president obliged on October 21, 1825.

The letter included an introduction, a poem, and concluded with a list of 10 life principles worth adhering to. In our time, this list made its way into the esteemed book “Lists of Note” [2], referenced in this blog, and now finds itself here.

So, the List of Thomas Jefferson’s 10 Rules for Life

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

Would you share such advice with your children?

For the Curious

If you’d like to read the original letter with the poem and the list, I recommend two sources:

• A text version, convenient for reading.
• A scanned copy of the original letter.

Thank you for reading!

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List of Links

[1] About this Collection | Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606–1827 | Digital Collections | Library of Congress, from the Library of Congress website
[2] Shaun Usher “Lists of Note: An Eclectic Collection Deserving of a Wider Audience”, ISBN 978-1452144573