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Man, in his present state, appears to be a degraded creature; his best gold is mixed with dross, and his best motives are very far from being pure and free from earth and impurity.

— John Jay Letter to Lindley Murray (1774)

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More quotes by John Jay

Slaves, though held by the laws of men, are free by the laws of God.

Every man of every color and description has a natural right to freedom.

No power on earth has a right to take our property from us without our consent.

Real Christians will abstain from violating the rights of others, and therefore will not provoke war.

Letter to John Murray (1816)

It certainly is very desirable that a pacific disposition should prevail among all nations.

Letter to John Murray (1816)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: John Jay (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.