Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
| NUMBER: | 170 |
| AUTHOR: | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) |
| QUOTATION: | I thought the work would be very innocent, and one which might be confided to the reason of any man; not likely to be much read if let alone, but, if persecuted, it will be generally read. Every man in the United States will think it a duty to buy a copy, in vindication of his right to buy, and to read what he pleases. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | The letter concerned a new book by M. de Becourt, Sur la Création du Monde, which was potentially controversial, as it discussed topics of both a religious and a philosophical nature. |
| SUBJECTS: | Censorship |